Little Coffee Beans

glimpses of life around here

 

Life is full. With warming spring days, most of our time is spent in the garden, building beds and fences and arbors, seeding and planting. All of our in-between times are spent loving up on these children, and cherishing small moments of quiet.

Here are some favorite glimpses from the last two weeks (left to right):

Hole digging to replant our peace pole in the garden.

Toby, one of the neighborhood bears, waltzing through our front yard.

The Flower and the Tree, playing in the clover.

My Man, cooking me Mother's Day dinner.

Baby wearing while gardening, the only way I get it done.

The Tree in the tunnel, showing off all those new teeth.

Nap time snuggles.

The Flower, barefoot tree climbing (oh, is she determined to climb trees!).

My girl just can not get enough baby love.

Couch-reading with Dada. 

Ahh, the smell of lilacs, right out my back door.

Our resident chicken whisperer.

Blooming azaleas, a tell-tale sign that we're in the South.

Sleeping baby squishiness. 

On the swings. She's learned how to pump.

In the garden, sowing seeds.

I'll be back soon with more stories from the homestead. 

ox

 

Related articles

around the garden :: spring chores and preteen chicks

a weekend outside

{this moment}

 

 

playing along with SouleMama

in the kitchen :: rocking salad dressing

 

 

It's salad-eating season again! Do you crave fresh salads this time of year, too? Soon we'll be harvesting garden greens, but for now, I'm making do with store bought spinach, because the craving for greens can not be ignored. I've made my own salad dressing for years. It's the easiest thing to make and get right, and it costs a fraction of what the store bought stuff goes for. Also, I can keep the ingredient list short and clean. My go-to dressing uses three parts extra virgin olive oil to one part apple cider vinegar with several dashes of herbs, salt & pepper. Sometimes I add yogurt or homemade pesto, too.

In addition to loving some fresh greens around here, we also seriously love us some Michael Franti. Love. Just the other day the Flower came up to me and asked "can you play some Michael Fwanti so we can dance Mama?" Naturally, we danced. A few weeks ago Mr Franti posted a photograph on Instagram of his homemade salad dressing, and it sounded delish. Two nights ago, I gave his recipe a go.

Using his inspiration I came up with this:

1/4 Cup raw, unsalted cashews

1 clove garlic

5 cherry tomatoes

2 Tbs apple cider vinegar

1 tsp dried parsley

salt & pepper

Throw it all in your blender with a few Tbs of water to help it blend, and pour it on your greens.

(This dinner also included frozen ravioli, because sometimes life requires frozen food, am I right? Our own canned tomato sauce, our own butternut squash roasted alongside one giant beet.)

I swear, if Michael Franti and Jamie Oliver could rule the world, everyone would be happy, in love and well-fed. Let's dance!

 

fort cocks

 

 

Oh yes we did! We named our chicken coop Fort Cocks, and as I mentioned yesterday, it cracks us up every time we say it. Of course, it's a pun-on-words with Fort Knox, which is how the Man was describing the construction of the coop as he was sweating and straining to get it all put together. You see, we (we, ha! he would be the more accurate pronoun) was cutting into an existing dog run fence in order to attach the coop. It was quite a complex operation, attaching chicken wire to chain link. The angles were wonky so there was a bit of jerry rigging going on complete with poultry netting tangles, and maybe a wee bit of swearing, but the end result is pretty fantastic. The ultimate goal of Fort Cocks is, of course to keep predators out.

The girls spent three days confined in their coop, and on Monday we let them out into their yard. It was nothing short of captivating, really, to watch them explore grass, dirt and fresh air for the first time. One girl, who goes by Middle America, seemingly went limp and then splayed herself out on the cool, damp earth. I was naturally worried about her until moments later all the chicks started laying down, stretching their feathers and literally rolling in the dirt. At first they looked quite pitiful, and then as more relaxed into the dirt, clucking and nudging one another, I realized that they were downright blissed-out. Needless to say, we're enjoying this week's installment of Chicken TV.

 And, our little Flower, the Chicken Whisperer, she was right in the middle of all the action.

 

 

And in case you're thinking that all we're up to around here is swinging, and playing with our chickens, well, you're mostly right. But check back tomorrow because I'm sharing Michael Franti's salad dressing with you. And trust me, you don't want to miss it!

seven things :: inside outside

A daily snapshot of inside meets outside.

Gratitude for the simple little things, and appreciating the sweet spots of life.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

:: 93/365 This was a heck-of-a-hard day. That's the way they go sometimes, but I'm learning how to be more patient with her and myself. And I can't blame this one for her moods, recovering from an illness and learning how to use her words to express her feelings, it's heavy stuff. I get that.

 

:: 94/365 And then there are these kind of days... A few moments for my own reading, and enjoying porch time reading with the children.

 

:: 95/365 Our morning started off loud and a bit rough. Desperate to find The Chill, I grabbed her number puzzle and a Dada pen and some paper and suggested she do some tracing. I must say this was one of the best ideas I've had in a while. Happiness followed.

 

:: 96/365 Loving up this boy and our beautiful, rainy forest. Have I mentioned that I love living in these hills? Witnessing the forest waking up to spring completely overwhelms the senses in the most beautiful way.

 

:: 97/365 It was a happy day, inside and out.

 

:: 98/365 Hat tip to my hubs for all he does from DJing to seedling tending, and all the in-betweens.

 

:: 99/365 Ah, the chickens are keeping me occupied. All of us really. Being responsible for twelve animals feels like a big deal, and I really want to do right by them. And yes, we named our coop Fort Cocks. And it makes us laugh every time we say it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'd love to know ~ what simple little things are you grateful for today?

 

for the love of backyard swings

 

Oh, those swings! We love them. And it's not just the children who are thrilled, I was giddy with excitement to get these set up so that I could swing. And the really good news? Unlike most of our DIY projects, this was a quick and painless job given the fact that the swing set frame already existed. 

When we first looked at this house last July, I spotted the swing set frame immediately, stacked then with firewood by the former owner, even so, I started daydreaming about the potential. As the winter proceeded, and the firewood was fed to the wood stove, the idea of swings in the backyard started to become an actual plan. With a spring birthday for the Flower, the timing was perfect.

All that was needed for us to transform the frame was a click, click, click on Amazon to purchase the three swings. We also found a use for one of the three very large piles of wood chips on our property, which were wheelbarrow-ed over by a nephew eager to make some extra money (although I think he now officially despises wood chips). On the eve of the Flower's birthday, after she was tucked into bed, the Man hung the swings on the existing hooks and et viola, swing set! 

C'mon over, let's swing!

 

 

 

chickens and rainy saturday chores

 

 

The chickens have moved to their coop.  Thank goodness. Here's what I've learned so far about chickens: baby chicks are cute, teenage chicks are gross. Seriously, you'd think that evolutionarily speaking the species would have evolved, and learned not to poop in their food or water. Not so. Don't get me wrong, I still like the girls, but I'm happier, and they're happier moving from their brooder to their coop, they just don't quite realize it yet. 

I can't remember where I gleaned it, but some magazine/book/person told me that upon moving into their coop the girls would appreciate having a few days of confinement so as to really imprint on their coop. After that, they know where they live and roost and lay and they'll happily come and go as they like. Yesterday was their big move outside, and so began their three day confinement. However, today we bribed a few of them out into their yard for a little playtime. New sounds, and sights and flavors greeted them, along with a very eager, very attentive Flower. We could only get five of them out, the other seven were too scared to attempt a trip out in the Great Wide Open, but I'm sure they heard tales from the clucking beaks of the girls who made it out. My guess is that tomorrow more of them will step forward for a trip to the grass.

 

The afternoon brought rain, but it was mild enough to still be out in it. The Man did some repair work left by the backhoes a few months back, burying shrubs and such, and while the flower attempted to climb saplings and amused herself in mud holes, the Tree and I explored the forest around the house. 

Sitting back now, fireside with a glass of wine, I'm calling it a good Saturday. 

And a good night.

 

 

Related articles

metamorphosis in the family room

a birthday, three swings, and a lengthy convalescence

around the garden :: spring chores and preteen chicks

{this moment}

 

 

playing along with SouleMama

a birthday, three swings, and a lengthy convalescence

 

 

Sometime around midnight, on the eve of her third birthday, my little Flower climbed into bed with us, snuggled up to my chest, and immediately, I felt her feverish skin burning hot through her pajamas. Damn it, I thought. But it was too late for swearing. She was coming down with the same virus that the Tree had already been battling for five days. 

Hours later, we woke early to a rainy, foggy morning. My girl was tired, and as she rolled over to ask, "Can I get up now?" I snuggled her in extra tight, feeling the warmth of her fever, accepting, with a pang in my heart, that her birthday celebration wouldn't be the one we'd been planning for. "Do you remember what today is sweetie?" Rubbing the sleep from her eyes she smiled, and as cheerfully as she could muster replied in a raspy voice, "My birthday! I'm three today!" After extra hugs and kisses, we crawled out of bed.

As we rounded the corner into the living room, she noticed the Birthday banner strung on the mantle and spied up on top, a little present wrapped in fabric. As she ate her morning snack she excitedly unwrapped new purple crocs. After skipping around the kitchen in her new (and way too big) shoes, the morning light slowly lifted, and the rain took a welcomed break. We pulled on rain coats over pajamas, and headed outside.

As soon as we stepped off the deck she spotted them, "Swings!" 

Fifteen minutes later, after a turn on each of the three swings, she looked up and sadly admitted she was tired. As the day progressed, so did her sickness, and it became painfully apparent that the Tree was getting worse, not better after five days of being sick. While the children napped I called the doctor to make a follow-up appointment for the Tree, and I made a quick batch of cupcakes. Even though I knew her party would be cancelled, I wanted my girl to at least be able to blow out a few candles at lunch. 

 

 

Days later, as I sit here fingers perched on the keyboard, I realize that I have few words to describe the rest of the day's events. The long and short of it is that the Tree and I spent the night in the hospital because he took a turn for the worse. It was scary and stressful, and not an experience I'd care to repeat. Though in the great wide index of scary, painful things that might happen in a hospital we only had to endure a few sticky electrodes tuned into the baby's vitals. We were even allowed to sleep in the same bed, and we maintained contact for the entirety of our visit (except for my own bathroom breaks). Still, I spent way too much time considering the what ifs of admitting a baby to the hospital. The experience has left me completely emotionally exhausted, and skeptical of venturing out in the possibly RSV-contaminated world beyond home.

And the Tree? On day ten he is regaining his health. He's been celebrating by staying up late into the evening hours, crawling, laughing and being totally freakin' adorable, but he's still coughing and working the virus out of his little body. Today the Flower is on day six of this nasty little virus. She's coughing, snotting and generally cranky. I can't blame her. She tries so sweetly to play and be silly then she's knocked down under a crashing wave of fatigue.

We've had bits of birthday celebrations over the last several days, but the birthday dress and crown have both gone unworn. The swings have brought much laughter, and without a doubt, laughter is our best medicine.

 

 

For the last several days I've been appreciating all the love from you. Thank you for your phone calls, text messages, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter messages. Your love and support helped me through an otherwise dark night in the hospital, and in the days since has reminded me of what a connected and supportive community I have. Thank you and big, big love, right back at 'cha!

 

 

 

Related articles

half way around

seven things :: inside outside

a birthday dress

winter in the morning

seven things :: inside outside

A daily snapshot of inside meets outside.

Gratitude for the simple little things, and appreciating the sweet spots of life.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

:: 86/365 Grasp

 

:: 87/365 Hope

 

:: 88/365 Trust

 

:: 89/365 Home

 

:: 90/365 Rest

 

:: 91/365 Love

 

:: 92/365 Light

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'd love to know ~ what simple little things are you grateful for today?

 

 

Related articles

metamorphosis in the family room

tweet tweet tweet

seven things :: inside outside