Makin' Grape Juice

The autumn days have settled in here and along with the cool crisp days comes the ripening of the orchard.  The apples are ready on the Cortland tree and the Concord grapes are starting to ripen.  It is such a blessing to have all of these good things growing right in our own little spot of earth.  But it can also mean a lot of work! 

This year, the boys are a bit older, and so we've decided to have a Harvest Week instead of the more structured book type learning of "regular" homeschool days.  They were excited to get started so I set them to work right away!

The two eldest boys washed the grapes, plucked them from their stems, smashed them up and put them into a pot.  The smashing was by far the most exciting part.  They are so juicy!

 Here they are all smashed up and ready to cook.  Did you know that concords are green on the inside even when ripe?  It's the skin that gives the juice that dark color. 

 They cook over medium heat just until they boil for a few minutes to release the juice.  Then it all gets put into a cheesecloth to be strained.

 The color is so beautiful to me and the whole process smells soooo good.  I let it sit in the cheesecloth for a day or overnight and then carefully pour it into a big glass jar for the fridge or freezer.  And Yes! We drink it straight!  It's sooooo tart!  We put it over ice-cubes and it's a fun time.  I also use it to make grape jelly.  Homemade grape jelly tastes so much better than the store bought kind and it's a treat to have a jar in the pantry come winter.

So right about now you might be wondering how I manage to get this done with little Hen always getting into things!  He is definitely into things!  (i love it!)  Well...the two older boys were so helpful that while they were making the grape juice I made a batch of chocolate zucchini bread, which kept Hen busy.

*Don't miss out on the opportunity to win something from my Etsy shop!  You still have two days to sign up.  I hope to hear from you about which one you like as it's an important part of the learning process in this whole adventure!  Thanks!

The Etsy Shop! And a Giveaway!

I'm am so happy to share with you about my Etsy Shop!  Tree Shadow Designs is now up and running!

The shop is a place for me to share with you, friends, the fiber art that I have been happily working on for the past several months.  I just love yarn, and love the whole process of creating with it.  I love how it feels in my hands, the motion of the needle being wrapped up.  I love how you can make something three dimensional from a single strand of wool.  The items in the shop are a mix of crochet and embroidery, although I also love to knit and felt.  Perhaps there will be some of that in the future!

So....I'd love it if you'd go over and take a peek!  And because all of this has really happened because of the good things that I've been given...I want to give something to you!  A Giveaway!


Here's how it works.  One of you will win a free item from the shop of your choice.  To enter, just leave me a comment here on the blog telling me which one you would like, if you are chosen.   To receive another entry in the drawing, like Tree Shadow Designs on facebook, and tell me about it in your comment.  And get yet another entry if you sign up as a follower of this blog.  The drawing will take place next Thursday and I will announce the winner on the blog.

And lastly, but maybe most importantly, Thank You!  So many of you have supported me though this journey.  Sent me a note of encouragement or given me ideas....Thank You!  Your friendship means alot to me and just might be the best part of this whole endeavor.

Cereal Box Knight Helmuts

 The first day of school, earlier this week, we did this!  Well at least for a part of the day anyway. :)
The boys have ideas you see.  And I am trying to follow through on my end more.  You know...like when they say "But we want to build helmuts".....and you say "We can do that later"....because there is math to do and it's almost supper time and you'd like to actually be able to see the dining room table when the man walks in the door at the end of his day.

So....this time...when they said..."let's"....I said "Yes!"

Made out of cereal boxes, packaging tape, ribbon, and metallic spray paint.  They got to spray it themselves and thought that was especially cool.  They did all of it themselves, except I ripped the tape.  As a mom I felt it my duty to save them from the jaws of that nasty tape dispenser. (ahem)

 My favorite part....the shinguards...from soccer....

 Little Hen watches these big guys so closely, taking it all in.  We didn't paint the inside, because I didn't want the paint to close to their skin.  So if you look closely it's also an advertisement for Cinnamon Harvest.  Yum.

 Cricket's is really large, but that's how he wanted it.  Notice in this picture the cereal box gauntlet?  That was an earlier creation. Yes, we are very creative with our recylcing bin.   The gauntlet is falling apart now, and I notice as I type this that it's being held together by one of my hair bands.  I seriously can not keep track of those things as they are always being used to fix engineering "problems" in this house!  I think I might need a secret hiding place for them, but my homeschooling mama brain would probably forget where I put them.  So, I'll just continue to look in the boys things when I need one.  :)

The Elephant

 At Circus World Museum

 The elephant's name is Tiny.

On Keeping a House

I know, I know.  Writing about this makes it seem....well...like I am just a boring housewife, who only thinks of her children and homemaking things.  But.  It's not true.  And I really have something to say about this.  So. 

Why is it that no one really talks about homemaking in a tangible way?  It seems to me anyway, that you either hear about the Marthas who talk as if they have it all together and their houses never are in disarray.  Or you hear about the women who talk about housework only if it is to complain.  Or you hear about taking care of one's home, in a decorating sense...you know...like about how to pick out the exact right color or have the cleverest idea for storing your shoes.  And it should be noted that this last one of the three usually involves spending money on some elaborate system or overpriced product.

What I would like to know....is how to keep a home that is clean and tidy and beautiful, without spending money or contacting an interior designer.  I would like there to be a magazine that is about housekeeping when you have a brood of children and making a room artisitic when you only have ten dollars!

I would like to read something that reminds me that taking care of my old bookshelf that has no paint and is not quite big enough, is better than spending money that I do not have on one that is fashionable and more useful.  I really would.  Because then I wouldn't have to spend so much time convincing myself that these truths really are true.  I wouldn't have to work so hard at stopping the comparing that happens in my mind every time I see a picture of someone else's living room.  I would look at what I have and see what a gift it is, instead of wishing it were something else.

I read once that "Comparison is the thief of joy."  And I really believe that.  The tricksy thing about it is, that I can stop comparing and feel fine and joyful and content, but then a friend comes over and I worry that they are comparing!  I worry, that although I am fine with what I have or don't have, that they will feel bad for me!  Oh to be truly content with the things that matter.  To be deeply rooted in them so that the little things are just that...little things.

The Plant Zoo

Today we journeyed to Olbrich Botanical Gardens for a little adventure.  The rain let up just for us, and we arrived there with the sunny sky above.  As we pulled into the parking lot, eldest boy read the sign, "Olbrich Botanical Gardens."  

Second boy said, "Botanical what? Aww, man, what is this place?" (yes, he's been here before many times, but it has never seemed more than a nice place to walk and he has never been atune enough to remember its name)

Eldest says, "It's a plant museum.  Don't worry it'll be fun.  We'll walk around and see all the plants, like a museum, only for plants."

At this point Owl (boy #3) pipes up, "No, it's like a zoo.  It's a plant zoo."  We all laugh and agree wholeheartedly and it's good to start our adventure with a smile. 

 So many watery places....so many little spots of beauty....

 It was the perfect day to walk in the garden with my love...

 The littlest man walked almost the whole way, and we walked for almost an hour.  Of course he has to "hold hands, mama!" and his little hat kept coming off every time he turned his head it seemed, to which he'd say "my hat is blowing away!"  which of course made me want to laugh.  But such tender little worries need to be handled with care, and I admit that even unaware old me is finally starting to get this, so you can imagine me dutifully rescuing his hat from the imaginary gust and putting it back on his head twenty times.

 This bromeliad flower was amazing.  The picture doesn't do it justice.  Notice the butterfly hiding out?

 My favorite spot.  I could spend a day here...with a book or a paint brush....

My little men.

Oh, and let me end by telling you that J took us all out for lunch at a place called "Daisy's cafe and cupcakery".  Yeah.  It was awesome.  I enjoyed the most amazing sandwich ever which involved breaded eggplant and edamame hummus followed by a mocha cupcake that was amazing.  I shared with little hen and he just kept saying, "hmmm, mama this is delicious!"  It really was.  The whole day.  Delicious.

August....

....is a month of abundance.  Hot days, warm nights.  Summer rain.  Sunshine.  Sunshine.  Sunshine.  All these things bring about abundance in a garden. 

 Eggplants.

 The "wealthy" apples, just like my grandma grew, from the tree we thought was dead.

 Pears growing in their perfect roundness.

 The sweetness of nectar sustaining such beauty.

Yet....these same things....sunshine, and heat, and even rain....the things that are essential for growth....they also stress the plants.  Too much of any of these causes the plants to be stunted and weak. And as I'm out in the garden, (like Eve?) I wonder how one balances all this.  How do we, creatures that need growth to live, how do we ever control the "circumstances" enough to avoid stress and thrive?

 The summer goodness also brings weeds.  The garden was full of them when we got home!  I didn't mind too much, because nerd that I am, I actually like weeding.  It sorts my insides out without me knowing it.

And in case you haven't seen this crazy picture yet....the summer goodness also brought this to my potato patch....

 And no, I didn't chase them away even though the Mr. McGregor in me thought about it.  I waited a few days until their eyes opened and then I did! 

 They sure were sweet to watch though.  The boys loved, loved, loved them.  And when we released them (ahem...chased them out with a stick) the little hollow left behind did feel a bit sad and empty.  And I sat and weeded around their old home after they were gone (yes I left the weeds while they were here so they'd have something to eat) I kept thinking, thinking about how the same goodness grows both the good and the "bad".  Doesn't it?

And what about me?  How do I handle the sun shining down on me?  What do I do when it's too hot too many days in a row and I just can't breath?  What about when the rains come washing down so hard that I can't see in front of me at all and I don't know which way to turn?  How do I handle all of it?  I went to bed that night feeling like I didn't know anything at all.  Only that somehow I still knew that God is good, but how do I make sense of it all?

The next morning I woke to this....

 The cardinal flowers that I had waited all summer for, finally blooming, showing their brightness in the morning sunshine!

 A yellow finch husking sunflower seeds like an old man does peanuts....

(His eye on the sparrow?)

 And boys.  Boys making pancakes.  (note the storm trooper "flipper")  Boys that greet each day with a freshness that is contagious.  (Morning by morning new mercies I see...)

 And then later in the week....the boy who all last summer and this season too...just couldn't find the courage to join in at soccer, yet desperately wanted to go each time.  Such a struggle, maybe more for the mama than the boy.  And finally, as if I was the most forgetful of all children, finally after many many times of struggling with this...I mumble this weak prayer to the one who fixes hearts...(please help him, Lord) and then the very next time...this!  Out there the whole game!  Smile on his little brown face!

Perhaps we manage all of this crazy goodness by just accepting the Grace?  With open hands.  And we keep going.  Trusting that our ship will come to no harm that He doesn't have providence over.  That no struggle will be too big for Him to guide us through.  That even though we don't always understand, we can trust that He is good.  He is love.  We are loved.