Jowers Inc.

Weekend Walk

2012-02-08T13:57:00.000-05:00

Went out to Grand Bay with the dog last weekend. All I want to do lately is stand, and not still, but walking. I can't get con=comfortable in a chair to save my life, or bed for that matter. At least Emmy is a good sleeper and plays all day, usually settling down by 10pm so I can rest. Avery played till 2-3am and I spent many restless nights on the couch in my 3rd trimester with her.

I took these pictures to document how cute and cleaver my girls really are. I sit and wait patiently for them to come out of their rooms each day, I never know what they will wear. It is so funny. Then here, Avery also decided to unpack her school bag and pack it up[ with snacks and drinks for our walk. Two oranges, a hand full of granola bars, pistachios, and 2 bottles of water. Kaighty packed the dog and her supply box (we keep a ready box with dog treats, food, water, bowls and poop bags ready at all times for our excursions).

We saw a two foot alligator in the water by the road, and the girls and Joey spotted a 12' adult from the tower. The weather was beautiful and we all enjoyed a brisk walk with each other!

No time to type, but must eat.

2012-02-07T13:47:00.003-05:00

It has been crazy busy around here with the new babies arrival looming. I, however must eat my lunch, so I will sit here for a minute and update our blog.

Emmy is due in 7 weeks. I think she'll be here before Saint Patrick's day, but we'll see. We have the crib up and have done some clothing shopping for her, but not enough. You see, after Avery's 2nd birthday we had 2 baby girl cousins born about 6 weeks apart from each other. Apparently, with Avery at the fun age of 2, I decided we were done with babies and gave away every shred of clothing from 0-12 months. I'm not sad about it, it just makes baby #3 a bit more expensive than I thought she would be. I have made a bunch of things for her, fairly inexpensively, using sheets and other things from the local thrift store:

3 pairs of crib sheets
2 changing pad covers
6 water proof 10x12" pads for the changing table
2 portable roll up changing pad blankets (for the diaper bag)
lots of burp cloths

Things I still have on my to do list, having already bought the supplies:

4-8 wool soakers
nursing pads
reusable wipes
travel bag and home bag for soiled diapers
travel bag and home bag for soiled wipes

We will be using AIO (all in one) cloth diapers as soon as her hiney is big enough to fit in them. This should help us save a good deal of money as well (close to $2000 over the next 2-3 years). Joey installed this awesome spray valve on our toilet to spray any poop off the diaper and into the toilet before washing.

I have started couponing as well. My friend Patricia, also due with a baby girl in March, has been doing it with great success. I spent most of last month collecting coupons and did not do too bad on my spending. This month I am kicking butt. Here is today's trip. I went to Publix (2 transactions) and Harvey's (2 transactions) and walked away with a good deal of things.... take a look......

Price before any discounts: $327.69
My Actual Cost out of pocket: $173.59
My total savings: $154.10 or 47%
Total Items bought: 98

Crazy..... I usually buy about 40-50 items a week at Wal Mart for $150-200 and buy only Great Value brand, coming home with never more than 1 of each item. Not to mention all of these items are big, that Tide, is 100 ounces. The Gillette razors were 4 to a pack with $2 off from Publix and a manufacturer's coupon for $3, making my price $0.89 for the pack.

I could have saved another $10 at Publix if I had paid a little more attention. But hey, saving 47% is pretty damn cool to me!

The Belly

2012-01-16T09:10:00.002-05:00

Avery took a few pictures of my belly last Thursday (hence the no head shot) when I was 28 weeks pregnant. I can't believe we have less than 75 days to go. My how time flies. Joey and Kaightlyn put the crib up yesterday after some massive room rearranging and sorting. I still need to do so much like order a car seat, cloth diapers, set up a changing station, make nursing pads, wool soakers and reusable wipes. Luckily I have time while the girls are in school to get these things done before due day.... I hope.

The Hog

2011-12-30T09:29:00.001-05:00

As a final good by to 2011, we say goodbye to the Honda Shadow. She has been a good bike, but she is for sale as Joey has the itch for a bigger, more powerful bike. I will be very sad, as will the girls I'm sure.....until the new bike is under the car port.

I found this bike for Joey on Craigs list last March. I instantly fell in love with the paint job and the Cadillac style of the bike. It is very wide and heavy and has a large presence on the road. The price was awesome for the size bike it was and we were sold. She has been so reliable and joey has taken great pride in doing all repairs on this bike himself (except new tires). But, alas he has finally decided it is a bit too small for him. After the Toy Ride he and Kaighty went on, being surrounded by 3000 bikes he finally felt small, slow and dated. My man is one guy trying to keep his balls intact while living with a houseful of girls. This is his only hobby, his only love besides us. How lucky are we girls? So I have jumped on board and will say goodbye to a bike that has brought the two of us together in a new way, over many rides through this beautiful farm land.

Wishing you a ....

2011-12-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

Very Merry Christmas. We are out having a blast with our new toy, probably making faces just like these. We hope you are all enjoying your family time and cherishing each and every smile, laugh, touch, foot and snuggle today!

--The Jowers

Joey, Cheryl, Kaightlyn, Avery, and Emmy

Advent Day 17

2011-12-24T13:04:00.000-05:00

Joey and Kaightlyn will ride in the 19th Annual Outback Toy Run.

Kaighty was written a citation for looking so cute, and won this hat early that morning.

I was there too! See my reflection? In the above two photos you can see my favorite bike. Even cooler was the old, white bearded man who owned it and told me the story behind this bike. This is his newest bike, and the only one he owns with an electric start. Everything is original and he paid only $100 for is a few years ago after it was abandoned in a parking lot for 3 years. This was by far the coolest thing I have ever been too. The size of the crowd and their generosity gave me chill bumps, and I could not stop smiling. I was a very proud 'old lady' that day. Partly wishing I could have participated in the ride, but even more proud that my 7 year old did! See the local paper story below about how many bikes participated in this record breaking event!

Valdosta Daily Times

December 18, 2011

Motorcycle riders get it in gear for annual Toy Ride

Kay Harris
The Valdosta Daily Times

VALDOSTA — A record- breaking number of dedicated riders stopped traffic for more than an hour Saturday afternoon as they took to the streets, all in the name of a worthy cause.

The Outback Riders and their band of brothers and sisters revved up once again for the 19th Annual Toy Ride, geared toward making Christmas special for the less fortunate children in the community.

For as far as the human eye could see, motorists were at a standstill as Valdosta and Lowndes County law enforcement blocked several intersections, allowing the 3,201 Harleys, Hondas, crotch-rockets and cruisers to make their way from the Lake Park Outlets to the open lot at Five Points. The massive ride benefited the Empty Stocking Fund sponsored by the Salvation Army, Guardian Bank and The Valdosta Daily Times. Just as the long train of bikes seemed to be nearing the end, another stream of bikers came lagging from behind, astonishing motorists who may not be used to such heavy delays in the city.

As the parking lot at Five Points rapidly filled with a variety of motorcycles, some even decorated for the Christmas holiday, Mayor Sonny Vickers stared into the crowd in amazement.

“I am amazed at what I see here today,” Vickers addressed the crowd. “I commend you all for the great outpour of support. In my 69 1/2 years in Valdosta, I have never seen anything like this. This actually shows what we can do when we come together as a community and put our little differences aside. I thank the Outback Riders for the awesome work they do.”

The mayor was still smiling as he stepped down from the mobile stage. Joining him in amazement was Salvation Army Capt. Monica Nickum. She said since the beginning of the Outback Riders Toy Ride, Saturday’s event was, by far, the biggest and best turnout.

“There are more than 3,000 bikes here today, but even more people because many bikes had two riders,” Nickum said. “This is just phenomenal. If anyone thought Christmas is a thing of the past, all they have to do is look at this crowd...Christmas is still alive and well.”

When asked what could have led to such a huge outpour when the economy is said to be in turmoil, Kerry Hudson, of the Outback Riders, said it could be a combination of the beautiful weather (it was 73 degrees Saturday) and the fact that many wanted to come out and pay tribute to Mr. J.R. Hennly, one of the main organizers of the Empty Stocking Fund. Hennly recently passed away and, by the brief words spoken about the “kind-hearted” man, the sadness of his passing was apparent on some faces.

One of those faces was that of Beulah Hennly, J.R.’s widow. She was presented with a check for this year’s contributions to the Empty Stocking Fund. The total amount of the check and amount of toys collected were not immediately known Saturday.

The only entry fee requested by the Outback Riders was that each biker donated a brand new, unwrapped toy or made a cash donation upon their arrival. It was a win-win situation for participants who also went home with one of the many door prizes donated by area businesses. Among those prizes were gift cards to the Rajun Cajun, t-shirts from Tifton Harley Davidson, tool sets, a mini, small-engine Honda motorcycle and a 50/50 cash prize drawing, just to name a few.

For some onlookers, attending the event was also about supporting a rider and seeing first hand what can happen when people remember what Christmas is all about. Valdosta resident Quishundra Mitchell said after hearing about the event last year, she made it a point to show her support for a fellow friend and rider participating in the event.

“I am so glad I attended,” Mitchell said as she panned the crowd. “This is exactly what the holidays are about ... thinking of others and not self. I feel it’s an important lesson, not only for the adults but for the many children who are here as well.”

One of those children was 9-year-old Madicyn Robinson. She attended along with her mother and brother to support her father.

The fearless child was all smiles when glaring at the bikes and said her favorite one was gray and resembled a Mustang. Also in the pack of participants was Valdosta firefighter Tyshon Reed. His wife, Candika, said she, too, was showing her support and was “overwhelmed” by the thousands of bikers.

“To know so many children will be blessed this Christmas, just warms my heart,” she said. “I am also a very proud wife because I have a husband who truly cares and supports a community he loves, not just in saving lives but saving Christmas for underprivileged children right here at home. Next year, I will be riding with him.”

Many of the Outback Riders participate in similar events in Waycross, Tifton and Tallahassee, which brings riders from those areas to the Valdosta event.

Advent Day 22

2011-12-23T09:16:00.000-05:00

Paint a winter scene

Hats made in under an hour

2011-12-19T16:53:00.000-05:00

Made these 3 hats for my little ladies over the past week. I had to take breaks from the commissioned baby project which was so tedious and do something fun. These hats can be whipped up with less than 100 yards of yarn in about an hour. They will be nice for spring, worn more for fashion and less for warmth. I love the shell pattern and how lacy it makes them look. These will be under the tree along with a few other hand made items for the girls and then ONE store bought item for them to share. This item will provide exercise and safely keep them in our back yard for hours at a time. Keeping them occupied a bit this spring when Emmy comes. Other than that, we try to limit gift exchanging in our home (Joey and I have not bought anything for each other since we were married 8 years ago) and make this a time to celebrate each other and be grateful for what we already have.....

Crochet project finished

2011-12-17T10:07:00.000-05:00

I finally finished the crochet baby shower gift. It probably took me about 20 hours, way more time than I had anticipated. The tiny size D crochet hook wove a very tight cotton fabric that I am very happy with, it just made the process longer than it should have been. On top of that the hat pattern was bunk and I ripped it out 3 times before inventing my own pattern to almost match the pictured in the book. My favorite part was the addition of satin ribbon crocheted along the border of the sweater. It looks so cute and adds a beautiful detailed texture to the piece. All and all I am very happy with the finished product and so was the librarian who commissioned this set.

Bounty

2011-12-16T09:09:00.000-05:00

Oh how grateful we are for good friends and all the bounty they bring to our lives. Here is the buck leg and backstrap we were given last night from Joey's boss. Avery squealed with delight upon entering the kitchen saying, "Mom, is that dear meat"?

I thought I would show you how big just one leg from a small buck can be. Not only how big, but how much meat you can actually cut off and freeze. Please don't be too critical of my cutting, as I have no idea how to do this properly, or what type of cuts I should get from the leg. I just make it up as I go. The more I do this, the more fascinating it becomes. I really want to watch him clean a whole dear and learn how to cut this properly. I would also love to learn to hunt. I never thought I would say that, and was a vegetarian for a bit in High School. However, becoming a mother and feeling a great need to provide for my family has changed my entire outlook on food and how we as Americans get it to our table.

Side note: The bones are going to be set aside for Harley to eat as well as all the scrap meat with too many tendons in it for us. I am waiting on the all clear from a fellow hunter that raw venison is safe and nutritious for our dog.

Ganache, referd to as reindeer poo

2011-12-15T07:20:00.001-05:00

Because it is easy to make, see my tutorial here. The girls can make it on their own. Fun to roll out and even better to eat. We made our favorite treat as desert for our big family Thanksgiving meal.

Because I love Emerson....

2011-12-14T15:24:00.000-05:00

"We do not live an equal life, but one of contrasts and patchwork; now a little joy, then sorrow, now sin, then a generous or brave action" - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Kool Aid hair dye for the Holidays

2011-12-14T09:12:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine mentioned that her 5 year old wanted pink hair. Both the friend and I are artist (she more so than I in the literal sense), and instill daily art in our children's lives. She was leery of the experiment, I thought it sounded fun. Especially when a third party mentioned it could be done temporarily with Kool Aid. I did some googling and found this tutorial here. It looked easy enough, and fun. So I picked up some Kool Aid at the store and asked the girls after school if they wanted to try it. I got yeses all around and even did a strand on my head. Avery actually did it for me, which she loved. Unfortunately my hair is too dark and it did not stain my hair pink like theirs did.

The project itself was a bit messy, no matter how hard I tried to keep it under control. The best part was the smell of strawberries and raspberries as I colored their hair, as appose to the harsh chemical smell of dye's. I have not dyed my hair in over 8 years. I got highlights before our wedding and sense then have gone all natural. Both Joey and I prefer this look! The ladies were not as patient as I thought they would be, which added to the difficulty of the task. Plus we all had to keep it in over night. So I wrapped each high light (they each had 3) in foil or saran wrap (the second worked much better) and then added a second layer of saran wrap around their heads and topped it with a bandanna. The girls looked so cute with the bandanna's on, but would not pose for a picture due to vanity. How funny. They slept on towels and the next morning we rinsed it out in the shower with just water. Avery's took the best, obviously because her hair is the lightest. And Kaighty's looked great on day one. Today they washed with soap and Kaighty's pigment is much lighter.

All in all it was fun, but I will not do this Kool Aid again. Next time we will try Streekers for a fun look. Have you ever tried natural hair coloring for kids? What worked for you?

Too busy to write

2011-12-12T09:58:00.001-05:00

This week I am trying to finish all the handmade gifts for the girls.... while they are still in school. These are some photos from our weekend. We stayed home and did project after project, it was lovely.

Gender Neutral

2011-12-10T15:55:00.000-05:00

Before we knew she would be a she, I began creating things for our baby to come. I did not know how to crochet when our first two girls were born, so this is a new medium for me and I am enjoying it very much. I did try and make basic items in neutral colors that could be worn by either sex of course. Now I am well into girl mode, but I thought I'd show you what I have made thus far.

Above, cool pointy hat. Pattern my own. Yarn, I love this cotton in neutral. Booties, pattern Lion Brand Easy Booties minus the ankle portion, same yarn.
Below, Rainbow Beanie with pom pom. Pattern my own. Yarn, left over sock yarn, 100%wool. Booties, same yarn, Lion Brand Easy Booty Pattern above.

Above and below, same pattern as above, different sizes. Yarn, I love this cotton in Taupe and Pale Denim.

Working hard on the tree

2011-12-09T11:12:00.000-05:00

The Sunday after Thanksgiving Joey got down our tree from the attic and our decorations. We just have this lovely leaning clearance tree ( I refer to it as the Dr. Seuss tree, as he would have drawn it leaning with a crooked star just like ours) and a paper box of ornaments, along with a mismatch set of stockings. We keep it pretty simple around here. This gives the girls and opportunity to make decorations during December from salt dough, gingerbread or just plain paper. They prefer it this way. Plus Joey and I don't spend hours ignoring them, potentially arguing, hanging miles of lights on the house in just the right place.

I helped the girls plug in and assemble the tree, then they did the rest. Including adding snow, mismatched garland and a plethora of glittery snowflakes. Kaighty even dressed for the occasion as Santa himself, beard and all. Avery used the arm of the couch as her ladder to hang things up high. This tree is all theirs. I actually enjoyed sitting with a hot cup of Joe watching them decorate while listening to our first batch of Christmas songs. Its odd to think about, but a mother almost never has time to just sit and listen without a single thing occupying her mind or body. I am so in love with my grown up little girls. This is our last Christmas as 4, the count down is starting and before we all know it, spring will be here and so will Emmy!

Avery and Emmy

2011-12-08T08:56:00.001-05:00

Joey thinks these pictures are too odd for our blog. I disagree. This is where Avery hangs out frequently. She talks to Emmy and kisses her at least twice everyday (it helps that Avery's face is level with my belly button when we stand up). In these pictures I am sitting on the couch about 3 weeks ago, and Avery has come to lay in my lap for a snuggle with the baby. Last week Emmy was kicking and wiggling after dinner one night so I laid down on the couch and called Avery over to feel her. She put her oh so tiny hands on my belly and asked in her softest voice for Emmerson to kick. Boy did she ever. Avery felt her first kick and was so excited she squealed with delight. Kaightlyn is not patient, or still enough to feel her yet. Nor is she really interested in my stomach 99% of the time. She never really cared that I was pregnant with Avery either. This always made me a bit sad, but I understand that Kaighty is a different person than I am. She loves animals, art and reading, and could survive with out human contact for years if she lived in the wilderness. Avery and I are social to an extent and need contact with those we love frequently. I certainly am enjoying all the attention Emmy and I get from Avery. It is so sweet and makes this pregnancy very real for me.

Crochet project

2011-12-07T12:18:00.001-05:00

While checking out books at the library last week, one a crochet book that I love Essential Crochet, I was asked to create a gift set for one of the librarians friends. She wanted a set for a baby girl including a cardigan, booties and a hat. She wanted something beautiful that could be passed on as an heirloom. Confident I was up for the task, I left out the part about having never crocheted a piece of clothing before. The pattern I followed was clear and precise, yet the small tight stitches are tedious and taking a lot more time than I accounted for. I finally have all the pieces to the cardigan finished, about 6 hours into it, now to piece it together and finish all the details plus the hat and booties.

Better late than never

2011-12-06T10:07:00.000-05:00

Avery and I were really sick during the Thanksgiving holiday this year. I managed to get her into the Doctor on Wednesday and she had Strep Throat and was given a slue of medications for it. I, however was not so fortunate and was very sick the next 4 days. Joey took me to the doctor on Monday and I was sure I had pneumonia. I did not, thankfully, but was also given a slue of medicines from my midwife. I love the office I am at, they take care of the whole pregnant me. At my visit I was asked to do all the normal tests to ensure not only I was ok, but the baby was as well. It is nice to be treated together, with previous pregnancy's I would have been sent to my family practitioner, who only treat my cold. Not even considering the baby inside me and the possible side effects of such medications.

For Thanksgiving Day the girls woke to watch the parade and then we actually drove out of town and looked at a house we were interested in buying. Then on the way home we had Dairy Queen for lunch, which was delicious. An afternoon nap for Mama and a walk for the 3 well people and the dog wound up our day of thanks.

Our somewhat big family dinner had occurred the Sunday before to accommodate travel schedules of other families. Kaightlyn felt the need to make holiday cards for her grandparents. Something she does for every holiday. This one was especially neat though, because she announced her new sisters name in the card. The grandparents were thrilled with the name and the sweet card from their #1 granddaughter. The Holiday's were non-traditional, yet so fulfilling this year for us.

Little Mama Helper

2011-12-05T10:07:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago Joey's boss shot a deer with his son. We ended up receiving an entire leg from said deer along with some back strap and 2 roasts, plus a Venison Cook book. Having never eaten game, let alone butchering my own, it was quiet and adventure for us. Joey washed and bagged while I cut as much of the meat off as I could (wishing I had taken some pictures of this part). I tried to cut of large pieces for roasting and steaks as well as bagged up almost 4 pounds in 1" cubes for stews and Chili. It took me almost and hour to get it all cut, man was it beautiful meat, the deepest shade of maroon, almost violet in hue. We ended up with more meat from that one leg than we have had in our freezer at one time EVER. It was quiet a bounty and we are very grateful for Joey's bosses generosity.

Avery really wanted to help in the cutting process and was disappointed she could not help. So after school the next day I asked her to help me make dinner with the Venison. She was game... ha ha. We made Pan-Fried Venison Steak with winter veggies and cream sauce. The girls did not love it, but Joey and I moaned through our meal it was so good! So far the game has made 2 stews, 1 batch of Tequila Venison Chili (this was awesome), a few steaks on the grill, a cranberry roast, and our favorite thus far, Grilled Venison Backstrap. I think we are game people. Joey is actually wanting to learn the skills of hunting and cleaning his own game for our family. I'm sure this will happen if he and his boss spend too much more time together!

Advent Day 2

2011-12-04T18:33:00.000-05:00

Make Coconut Joy's

The girls enjoyed this activity together. The recipe only calls for 4 ingredients, is no-bake, and super simple for little hands. They read, and followed the directions all by themselves and made a tray full of Coconut Joy's while Joey and I watched the GA Bulldogs get their tails whooped. It was quiet a lovely evening. Please ignore their stained hands, they painted with liquid water colors and acrylics earlier that afternoon.

an Advent calendar is by definition,

2011-11-29T13:33:00.008-05:00

"An Advent calendar is a special calendar which is used to count or celebrate the days of Advent in anticipation of Christmas. Some calendars are strictly religious, whereas others are secular in content. Despite the name, most commercially available Advent calendars begin on December 1, regardless of when Advent begins, which can be as early as November 27 and as late as December 3.

Today, most Advent calendars are made for children. Many take the form of a large rectangular card with "windows" of which there are often 24; one for each day of December leading up to Christmas Day. One is opened every day during Advent. In many of these calendars, each window opens to reveal an image, a poem, or a portion of a story such as the story of the Nativity of Jesus. More elaborate Advent calendars have a small gift concealed in each window, such as a toy or a chocolate item". Per the lovely Wikipedia.

We have never made, bought or used an Advent calender in this house. It just never occurred to me. We are not really ones for tradition or following trends. In fact we were all talking over our Thanksgiving meal at Dairy Queen last week about how we really do something different almost every year for the holidays. We decided, as a family that we liked this feature and will continue to spice things up through the years. Especially as our family continues to grow.

The girls decided they wanted to make an Advent calender to help count down to Christmas this year and asked me last night to help them. So today while they were at school I did a good bit of inter webs surfing looking for good ideas. I never found what I wanted so I decided to make one for just this year. The girls will help decorate the front of each card, and I will fill in the backs. Ours will be secular in content and will follow the 24 days leading up to Christmas Day. The girls will each get to flip 12 cards over the next month and reveal what we will be doing as a family to get ready for Christmas. I think they are going to love this, I know I am already. I am going to post a short sentence or two about each day in our Advent as well as a photo. I think this will be a fun way to document how we prepared for this Christmas as a family. how are you going to spend your December?

Look what I spotted

2011-11-27T08:13:00.001-05:00

from my kitchen window this morning. Five renegade cows who broke through a fence somewhere grazing on our neighbors lawn. I feel so bad for animals over the holidays. Their owners leave and expect busy neighbors to tend to their animals during the holiday. The the animals feel neglected and go walk about. We have now called animal control for one giant German Sheppard a tiny kitty and now for five cows, all since Thursday. I do forget how cool it can be living in the country from time to time. The girls thought this was the best morning ever!

On my way...

2011-11-19T09:15:00.001-05:00

.. to a gifted summit at our local college this morning. It could not have come at a better time. I am so very excited I even jumped out of bed and hour before my alarm went off just to write down a whole page of questions and concerns I have about my gifted child, her progress and her struggles.

Just look at the key note speaker:

Thomas P. Hébert is a professor of educational psychology at the University of Georgia in Athens, where he teaches graduate courses in gifted and creative education and qualitative research methods. He has been a teacher for 13 years, 10 of which were spent working with gifted students at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. He served on the board of directors of the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC). His work has been recognized by various professional organizations. He was the inaugural recipient of the Mary M. Frasier Equity and Excellence Award from the Georgia Association for Gifted Children (2008) for his research contributions on diverse students. He received the 2008 Neag School of Education Outstanding Alumnus Research Award from The University of Connecticut. The University of Georgia College of Education awarded him a Faculty Research Leave Award in 2008 during which time he traveled throughout the country conducting research on high-achieving men who have overcome serious adversity. In 2000, NAGC named Dr. Hébert an Early Scholar. He conducts workshops nationally and internationally on topics related to gifted education. His areas of research interest include social and emotional development of gifted children, underachievement, culturally diverse gifted students, and problems faced by gifted young men.

Or the awesome press release in the VSU paper. I absolutely love to learn about things that are close to my heart, and my children fall right into that spot. So off I go for a day full of learning how to better promote, teach, and communicate with my gifted child!

Last Camp Fire

2011-11-14T13:37:00.000-05:00

Were all pretty tired by Saturday evening. Dirty, cold (to the bone) and longing for somewhere comfortable to snuggle up with a book and a nice hot cup of coffee. I hung the hammock for the kids, which they enjoyed. Something we need to work on for the next trip is finding things for them to do after dark. The grown ups don't mind sitting by the fire and chatting but the kids do. We even brought flash lights for them to wear on their heads and they rode their bikes for a while in the dark, until they were just too tired to ride anymore. But it was still not even 7 o'clock yet. Do you have any fun things to do outside for kids in the dark?

We really did enjoy this camping trip with friends. And now we know that a 2 night stay is doable.... until the baby comes.

Collage

2011-11-14T09:29:00.000-05:00

We took so many great photos on the beach that day, I thought I would share a few more in collage form. Above: the desolate cold driftwood beach at Jekyll.

Bellow: The kids finding treasure and shells along the same beach but in a little cove 50 yards from the drift wood shore. If you notice there are no shells where the driftwood is, I guess the current carries them into the pocket.

On the beach.....

2011-11-13T09:39:00.000-05:00

...in black and white. Because we had friends with us, we actually got a RARE family photo. We stand with the wet lands behind us and the beach at our front on a boardwalk on Jekyll Island in Georgia.

Drift Wood Beach

2011-11-12T09:54:00.000-05:00

After a 1/2 mile walk under the beautiful mossy oaks, kids rode their bikes we arrived at the beach. The kids loved climbing on the drift wood despite the almost hurricane force icy winds we were enduring. It was in the mid 50's but the wind felt like it had come from a nor'easter and just tore through our light clothes and hats. Sending most of us home with a nasty cough and soar throats. See Harley's ears blowing?

The above picture is now one of my all time favorites. Joey had just finished kissing Avery with his scruffy beard and she looks so amazingly happy!

Kaighty spent the better part of her weekend quiet. Something she has morphed into over the past 3 years, a quiet deep thinker. She never complains, ever, and just enjoys almost anything we do (with the exception of shopping). She just rode her bike around the camp ground, met new kids, walked the puppy and enjoyed the freedom that camping brings a little girl.

J. found a treasure on the shore amongst the shells and Avery is proudly holding what we deemed King Triton's scepter. It was the neatest rod with a cone head and shells pressed into it. We could not figure out what it was made of, some type of metal possibly, as it was very heavy. The kids played with it for the rest of the weekend.

Breakfast only took 3 hours.

2011-11-11T16:19:00.001-05:00

We are pretty much camping virgins. I went as a child, however this trip was only Joey's second time. It did go much smoother this time around, even with the arctic wind and a new puppy in tow. The tent camping sites at Jekyll Island are primitive, according to the brochure, meaning they only offer a fire pit and picnic table. No water or electric like our last site. No big deal. We are not very electric people anyway!

Saturday morning we woke before the sun rose and started our fire, we have yet to buy a Colman stove. The wind would just not let up and made our efforts in vain. We had to get some lighter fluid to make this fire burn hot enough to cook on. Laugh it up Alaska, it is not in our blood to do this stuff on the fly. We tried, we really did. Even took an entire milk crate of pine cones and sticks for kindling. The wind just kept the flames so small and on the bottom of the wood that our cast iron pans would not heat up. Once we used the lighter fluid, the coals finally started turning white and we had some real heat. So much so the grate was lifted back up to control the flames on the pans.

Once we did eat, we ate well. Joey manned the fire and did all of the cooking, something he does every Saturday morning at our house. Hot coffee from the vintage aluminum camping percolator I found on ETSY. Hot pancakes and sausage with scrambled eggs and canned peaches from this past summer. Yummy! It's so funny but food actually tastes so much better when you work this long and hard for it. We ate like Kings! Now that it was almost 10am we headed off to the drift wood beach for sea shell hunting and a photo shoot (yeah right)! Our poor little girl was a bit chilly!

a Quote and a Question

2011-11-11T08:58:00.000-05:00

"Where is my reset button? I'd like to start over at high school graduation please."
M. Landin

If you were to hit that button and go back to graduation day, what would you potentially lose?

Don't forget, you would not be taking with you any of life's lessons you have learned since then. Therefore it would make sense that in the grand scheme of things you might end up exactly where you are today... still.

Half Way

2011-11-10T13:30:00.000-05:00

So today marks the half way point in our pregnancy. Twenty weeks down, twenty weeks to go.

We know shes a girl. We know she is the exact size she should be for her age (meaning she will probably be the biggest Jowers' baby yet). We know she is a mover and a shaker just like Avery was. In fact Joey felt her flip just last night for the first time (I have been feeling her for weeks). With all this knowing, there is still such a great mystery of who's really growing inside of me.

Will I finally get my red head?
Will her eyes be blue or grey?
Will she love reading and art like Kaighty?
Will she share Avery's passion for music and fashion?
Will she be quiet and intelligent like Joey?
Will she be bold and go against the grain like her Mom?

One thing we know for sure at this moment is her name. Which was the easiest for Joey and I to pick thus far. Kaighty's name took months and about 20 lists. Avery's a few weeks. This time I wrote one list with only a handful of names on it and in about 5 minutes we had come to a conclusion. She will be Emmerson Rose Jowers. We will call her Emmy for short, something we have all begun to do. Can't wait to meet you Emmy Rose!

Her names origin and meaning:

Kaightlyn: Irish - Pure hearted
Grace: Latin - Graceful

Avery: Anglo-Saxon - (Elfin) Leader
Claire: French - Clear, bright

Emmerson: German - Industrious Ruler
Rose: Latin - Rose, beauty, love

Homemade Yogurt and a Rant

2011-11-09T08:52:00.001-05:00

Last spring a friend of mine asked me if I made my own yogurt, um I'm a city girl, no. Wish I did though. She replied "I'll teach you, it is so easy", with that she did and included her recipe. This recipe is not from her family, but it was brought by a grandmother into America. My favorite thing is learning from tradition. I absolutely love antique cookbooks filled with tried and true, simple, traditional recipes. Earlier this year I had asked for my grandmother to move in with us. I was so excited to share the past with my girls and teach them how to take care of an older family member. Like is done in almost every country but our own. It would have made me so happy having her by my side daily. I was named after her and I seem to be a lot like her. She was a wanderer, for years at a time she had no address and traveled in her home (an old RV) with her late husband. She lived off the land. Her children chose to place her in a senior living center instead of with me.

I long for influence from the older generation. They are so wise and used to be revered, but in today's society, they are a nuisance. I personally flock to the older generation. A close friend of mine is 61. She teaches me daily and tells me stories of the past, two things I can't get enough of. Her husband taught me to can. I tried learning from books, I read about eight on canning alone, yet failed when I tried it. Until I watched him do it. Now I can put up my own food. Why have we lost the art of teaching? Of passing on traditions from generation to generation? Why is there such a large wall put up and if you want to learn something, you have to pay to do it? Want to learn to can, come down to the local High school and we'll teach you for a fee plus the cost of using our power. OK, I'm off on a rant, sorry. Back to this tried and true yogurt recipe. I have mad 5 batches the first month alone and all 5 came out a success and were eaten with great pleasure.

Because of my sever migraines during my pregnancy I have altered my diet. One trigger food happens to be yogurt. So I have not made any this fall but eagerly await my babies arrival so I can get back to my breakfast routine of yogurt topped with home made granola and honey peaches put up in July. Thank you for the recipe S.B.

Homemade Yogurt
Up to 1/2 Gallon of Milk (any fat amount you want for low fat yogurt use 0% or 1% milk)
4 Tablespoons of plain yogurt (store bought works fine for your first batch)
A glass jar (I use a 1/2 gallon mason jar) or Tupperware with a lid large enough to store 1/2 gallon

Bring any amount of milk to a boil, stirring constantly (I use 1/2 gallon and store it in 1/2 gallon mason jar)
Boil for a few minutes, then set aside
Let it cool until it's not too hot and you can stick your finger in it with out burning yourself, but DO NOT let it cool completely. This takes about 20 minutes, depending on your room temperature.
Scoop out 1 cup of milk into a Pyrex measuring cup
Add a few spoon fulls of plain yogurt to the Pyrex cup and stir only until combined (use 4 Tablespoons to 1/2 gallon of milk).
Add the contents of the Pyrex back to the pot of milk and stir only 12-15 times
Transfer it to a plastic or glass container.
Wrap the jar with a towel or blanket to keep it warm and set it aside for 8 hours (or overnight if you make it at night).
Place it in the fridge and let it cool before you try it.
Save a few Tablespoons from this batch to make your next batch!

November 1st

2011-11-08T09:11:00.003-05:00

Counting and sorting Halloween candy is pretty popular around here right now. Kaighty made a chart for hers. Then did one for Avery as well. Then Avery decided she needed to organize her candy, shown here. This whole process of organizing and counting took about 2 hours after school, before we knew it, it was dinner time! See the little note at the bottom? 'Until I eat another piece I have 157 pieces of candy', she is so darn clever!

I just love them in the late afternoon light and took a few extra shots of Avery sorting in the shadows. I can't believe how much she has grown up and matured during these last 3 months. She copies everything Kaighty does, even writing and now ready very short small books. I am so proud of her. I am not sure if she is ready for the role of big sister though.

Here Kaighty had a writing project in class on Wednesday about robots. They had to brainstorm and fill in this paper with all kinds of adjectives about their own personal robot. She named it something super cute, I think it was Samantha Bot 5000. Anyway when she came home that day from school she asked if I had any boxes in the recycle bin she could use to make her robot. She is just like me, once and idea is in your head, you just have to get it out quick. Here she is wither her finished bot!

Ripple Blanket

2011-11-07T16:05:00.000-05:00

I am getting there. Slowly but surly the blanket is growing, as is my tummy. This past weekend we went camping, it was much cooler and windier than anticipated. I wore a few layers of flannel shirts topped with an orange vest, the likes of which I could only button the top two buttons. It was a bit funny.

Halloween

2011-11-07T09:01:00.002-05:00

Halloween with friends. The girls decorated Halloween sugar cookies, something they thoroughly enjoy. Then they carved a pumpkin together, which was awesome. They all drew a piece of the face from a cauldron, then from smallest to biggest they got to carve their part of the pumpkin. All the while the other girls masterpieces were covered with a towel. The collaboration came out quiet well if you ask me.

From left to right; Kaighty as a ghost, Avery as a witch, B as a Viking (our county school mascot), and J as Cleopatra.

Below is a picture of Kaightlyn's book character pumpkin. Their class invited all the parents in the week before Halloween to help our kids decorate a pumpkin as their favorite book character. Kaighty chose Junie B. Jone for her pumpkin. It was not hard to make and she did it all by herself with the exception of hot gluing the hair on. Which was nice because I got to help her neighbor with his, who's parent had to work that day. It was not only a great idea but it was really fun to make a huge mess in the class room and see all the kids and parents being creative together. Something that is rarely seen anymore.

Our new Harley

2011-10-31T14:46:00.003-04:00

Bet you thought is was a motorcycle? Nope. We finally got a dog. The girls, Kaighty in particular have wanted on for a long time. The time never seamed right. Until now. We have about 5 months before the baby arrives and a year and a half before we have a walker. Meaning the puppy 'should' be well trained by then. This also gives the girls a job to do while Mom and Dad are busy tending to the new munchkin.

Harley is half Black Labrador and half American Bulldog. Joey got to see the parents onsite and thought they were both awesome dogs. She is tinny and plump at the moment, however we are thinking she will get quite large. Which is fine by us. We want a dog to play with, one that will run alongside bikes and catch a ball over and over. She will be going with us to park, camping and short runs into town.

See her pink toes? Look at how small her paws are now. Not for long I imagine. She has been with us for two weeks now and is quiet the little sweetie. We are crate training her and are very proud to say she is potty trained already!

The girls are smitten and I hope this will be a wonderful experience for us all!

... and this is why,

2011-10-29T11:51:00.000-04:00

I thought their were two. Look how big I am already. I am only 18 weeks along and much more tired, sick (ie still getting sick at least once a week) and bigger this time around. Both Kaighty and this baby are due in the month of March, only 10 days apart. So I feel I can gauge these two pregnancy's on a very similar scale. Here is a picture of me the day of our ultra sound (10-27-11). The angle is horrible and I am sorry, but I was home alone and in a rush.

Now I will show you a picture of Kaighty's Pregnancy at 23 weeks (11-23-2003). That's right 5 weeks past this pregnancy.

My tummy was smaller then at 23 weeks than it is now. I knew that going to this appointment. I also knew that woman caring twins experience more morning sickness due to an even larger increase in hormones, more weight gain and more fatigue. Well that fit me, in my opinion. There is another factor that plays into this scenario, me possibly producing more eggs at this time, but I will spare you the details.

Well that leads me to this. I was wrong. Again. And Joey, my beloved naysayer, was right. There is only one baby growing in me. Big and strong is she. That's right folks. We are expecting our third daughter! It took me a minute to realize and comprehend the fact that there was only one baby and that none of the two I thought were there would be a boy. But once it all sunk in, I am ecstatic as are all the people in my house. Now to pick out a name and start sewing girlie clothes as appose to the gender neutral I have been working on thus far!

I suspect....

2011-10-27T13:15:00.001-04:00

....their are two.

No one thinks I'm right. Now it's recorded on paper, so to speak and we will know in less than an hour.

Expecting More

2011-10-27T08:00:00.000-04:00

Not sure how many babies Avery is carrying. However she has spent the last 3 months very pregnant. Let me tell you, Kaighty is so tired of being the husband they often get in a fight over it. I love how she altered her outfit with clothes pins to accommodate her very large tummy!

Growing Up

2011-10-25T20:30:00.000-04:00

I have yet to put our children in any after school activities until this year. I think, and of course this is my opinion, that children are overly stimulated today. We allow them to play with electronics, watch TV, and listen to music, all things I am guilty of. They grow up so quickly and are so busy with school, play-dates and Mom's schedule, being dragged around everyday of the week. Adding dance or soccer to this at age 2 or 3 just seems to be way too much. Not including the fact that these activities almost always fall at dinner time. I have always been a huge advocated of schedules and keeping my young children on one (with the exception of our brief homeschooling adventure). They are always so much happier, low key and obedient when following a schedule. The meltdowns only happen when we deviate from it, they can't deal with the extra stress, hunger, exhaustion or stimulation. I decided to wait until my girls were well into their school routine and old enough to handle yet another commitment before allowing them to sign up for anything extra. Boy am I glad I did.

Kaighty and Avery both picked gymnastics for their sport. Kaigtlyn has really enjoyed her class and her teacher over the past 2 and a half months. She is mature enough to follow directions and take pride in her accomplishments from week to week. She has come a lot further than I thought she would and loves it. With her not so graceful manner I thought this would be frustrating for her, but she does have a very good 'try again' spirit. Doesn't she look so lean and tall in her black leotard? I am so glad we held off until her confidence level had increased enough to prevent this from becoming a chore and not a looked forward to weekly event.

Although they both picked gymnastics, Avery had to wait and pull her grades up before she could begin (her first lesson was last Thursday and she was so pumped up, it was awesome). Yup, you read it correctly, one of our children had to ride to gymnastics for 2 months and watch her sister participate while she sat on the sidelines and studied hard. A 5 year old can handle that lesson and grow from it. They do and can be made to understand what 'earned' is. Boy was she beaming with pride when her awesome report card came in and she realized she had reached her goal. She took great pride in listening to everything her teacher said and even mastered 4 techniques during her first class. It was so fulfilling for Joey and I to watch her enjoy her reward. A sweet victory for us all.

Weekend with Grannie Cat & Papa

2011-10-18T08:49:00.001-04:00

Here are some photos captured in September while the girls spent the weekend with their grandparents. Joey's mom lives just 15 miles from us. She works a 40 hour week, unlike a lot of grandmas these days who raise their grandchildren while their children are at work. So her weekends are often spent relaxing with her husband, taking care of her mother, and doing household chores. However, she alternates monthly inviting some of her grandchildren over to her house for a 2 night, weekend extravaganza. Some months she takes all 4 at once, so the cousins can see each other (we do live about 75 miles from them). Often she will take just one child at a time for some real one on one. Any way you slice it, she spends time with her grandchildren often and loves it. The kids love it too! Did I mention she lives just across the street from a park and has a dog. Two things most kids LOVE, but not as much as grandparents.

This weekend they played dress up with this hilarious clown costume. Ate lots of pancakes, played at the park and generally had a wonderful time. As you can see above, Kaightlyn had to plot a story the next day in school and chose to write about her weekend. I have not seen the final draft yet, as it stays in her journal at school. Thank you for all the support, affection and time you offer our children Grannie Cat and Papa. We love you!

Slow Progress

2011-10-13T13:21:00.000-04:00

I bought this beautiful basket of yarn when I was only 6 weeks pregnant with plans to make a beautiful ripple blanket for #3. Lucy over at Attic24 made one for her #3 and I absolutely love it, the best part is she included a wonderful tutorial on her personal ripple pattern. We do not know what our #3 is yet so I decided to settle on a few of my favorite colors including; light grey blue, dark grey blue, a deep purple, and deep orange. The color of this is not coming through in these photos at all. It is so much deeper and richer I promise. This poor blanket has been sitting for weeks now, the pictures loaded in my que and the post waiting to be written. How funny is that in all my lazy weeks Lucy was thinking the same thing and plotting out yet another ripple blanket. This time she is doing a "ripple along" and I'm going to try and keep up hoping to finish this beauty by Halloween. If you want to check out what others around the world are rippling up, take a look at her Flicker Pool.

Number 3 Blanket

Finished size will be about 26"w x 50"L (crib mattress size)

For this size I chained 115 (sets of 14 + 3)

I am using hook: H

Yarn: I Love this Cotton, 7 skeins @ 180 yards each

Working clockwise from top:

#306 Dark Denim

#70 Turquoise

#302 Washed Denim

(this is the color paint on our main living area and the babies room and seen in the photo background)

#42 Orangeade

#86 Vintage Teal

#74 Pink

#262 Mulberry

First Funeral

2011-10-09T11:00:00.000-04:00

One day a red spotted tabby cat, by the name of Flora, attacked a six week old baby bunny. The bunny was brown with a cute fluffy tail. Kaightlyn age 7 and Avery age 5 named this bunny Cloey. Avery and Kaightlyn got to hold and feed Cloey. Cloey never bit us at all. This family knew about bunnies because once they had a 2 year old bunny named Lily. During the night Cloey had died. It was very sad to see her go. The next day Kaightlyn’s friend Jordan came over. The 3 friends had a funeral for Cloey. We had all loved her.

Written by Kaightlyn Jowers

Baby Making all Around

2011-10-06T11:38:00.001-04:00

Joey's boss and wife are due any day with their second son. It has been so neat for the two of them (the guys, that is) to experience pregnancy together. We had our first TWO children well before any of our classmates, friends, or family members were having kids, so we paved the way. We were the ones giving out advice and never receiving it. In fact we both felt rather blind the first go around and still fairly blurry through #2. This time is different we feel well educated and very calm at the whole prospect. It is such a relief. Joey and his boss are very similar (for once in his life), they are close in age, very involved in their families lives and in the home. Most of all, they both deeply love their wives. A very uncommon trend in this current time. So this is a very special time for them to share together and I am very sure it has brought them closer and a life long relationship is being built.

His wife has had a few too many bumps in the road this time around and last leaving them feeling a bit anxious. The doctor says tomorrow is the day. So we are super excited for them. As the memories flood into our minds about the day we became a family of 4. What a truly magical, awesome, yet stressful time in our lives that was. Oh how this time will be different for all of us. Joey and I are in such different places mentally than we were 6 years ago. We have grown up for one. Our marriage is so much stronger, our relationship unwavering, our love at its peak. We are going to relish each moment with this new creature. Even more so being able to share it with our first two loves who are so much more mature and able to relish right along with us.

OK, I am now in tears and way off subject, again. Back to baby boy. I realized I have know about this pregnancy from the beginning and had not even thought to get them a gift. What a lousy housewife I can be at times. Monday I whipped up this adorable little boy hat (hopefully I will get to make a lot more boy things here in the near future)! The pattern was so easy I completed it in less than an hour and a half. I used this pattern and a single strand of I Love this Cotton yarn. Which is by the way my favorite yarn, it is so incredibly soft. I also made her a few burp rags from repurposed prefold diapers and some Heather Ross fabric, pattern my own. Aren't they just adorable? Now we wait for his arrival!

He's finally writing again!

2011-09-27T12:53:00.000-04:00

My true love has built a blog of his own. He has in the past written here, however all the girlie, artsy, crafty goodness hides his stern, honest, opinions of how our life truly is. He has written to me our entire 10 years together. In fact with out his written word to me, I may have looked him over for another. He melts my heart with his stories of us, he sees everything differently than I do. He has built such a hard shell around himself that almost no one knows him, no one but his 3 girls. If you would like to get to know my bad ass husband better, head over to his new blog Jowers MC and check him out!

Handmade Doll

2011-09-26T21:08:00.000-04:00

I came across this wonderful book on the new release shelf at my local library in July, written by Hillary Lang, this book is just adorable. The pages are filled with beautiful pictures and wonderful patterns. Not only is the book awesome, but the patterns are well written and easily followed. I have made 2 of her dolls and have not a single complaint. Hillary does not leave out a single detail from her patterns, and they are a joy to make.

You can find Hillary's book Wee Wonderfuls here and she writes a lovely blog as well. Give her a visit, see what she's all about and then pick up her book. I of course had to return her book to the library, but it's on my Christmas list this year!

For Avery's 5th birthday I made Margot. We tried really hard to ensure every gift our children received was either handmade by me or another individual. As well as limited the gifts to 3 or 4 small items. This was my first doll making experience. Made 100% by me from scratch! I love it. She is two dolls in one. From farm Margot who wears an apron, gathers eggs and milks cows by day to a lovely dressed up Margot ready for a wagon ride into town. With Hillary's detailed illustrated directions I put her together in secret over the course of only a few nights. What do you think? Adorable, right!

Kaightlyn is in love with her. So much so, she even drew this photo of Margot, and pronounces the 't' at the end as well! Avery on the other hand, even 2 months after her birthday has yet to play with Margot. She has not said a single word against my work, just set it to the side and went onto another more pink more modern day (needs 3 AA batteries) gift and has yet to look back. But that is Avery and I love her, every little bit!

Number 3

2011-09-15T08:18:00.046-04:00

Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. -Elizabeth Stone

We have news. All plans will be laid to the side for their is a new member of our family being created as I type. We are 12 weeks along and in the safe zone now. The last 6 weeks have been a blur. While the girls are at school I barley make it off the couch to make my lunch and usually cash in on a 3 hour nap. By the time I have made everyone dinner and spent a few hours with the girls and Joey, I am spent and usually head to bed no latter than 9pm, usually closer to 8. Sleep is really all I have done. Sad really. But good for my little peanut. The girls miss me, I can tell. I miss them. I am hoping that now in my second trimester, I will regain my energy and be able to keep up with them trough the cooler months of fall.

We are all trilled to be adding another member to this clan. Joey and I always wanted 4 children. A large family to surround ourselves with for the rest of our lives. We love our girls more than we ever imagined, their quirks, their uniqueness, they are amazing bits of us all mixed up into beautiful little people. Adding number 3 is thrilling. Especially since our girls are older now, they are really going to enjoy this experience and so am I. It will be so nice having helpers and not feeling torn between raising two children close in age who have equally demanding needs. This time we can all sit back and lavish the time with a tiny baby around. Even typing this now gives me chill bumps.

Above is a note from Kaighty and photo from Avery that they made me the night we told them about number 3. Avery drew boy parts on the baby in my belly. She wants a brother, so "he can be the husband when I play house" says she. Ha Ha.

She's Five

2011-08-15T14:09:00.000-04:00

Avery turned five in July. Oh how time flies by. I now am the proud mother of a 7 and 5 year old. No more babies, toddlers or pre-schoolers here. Just grown up elemetary students. For Avery's special day her cousins and close friends stopped by for the afternoon to play water games. The water balloons were the largest hit, allowing the wee ones to grow up even faster once stuffed in their swimming suits. Great fun was had by all, even the grown ups sweating it out under the shade of our Cyprus tree.

Avery designed her birthday cake and the two of them helped me make all the decorations. Kaighty almost exclusively made all the flowers from gumpaste and did a wonderful job. Avery helped with the baking and applying all the decorations to her cake. It was so fun to work on this project together with my girls. We also made the most lovey pinata, and some how managed to not take a picture of it. It was Avery's idea and with a little help from me, she made it all by herself with paper mach'e and a balloon. Then we cut up colorful tissue paper and covered the outside with it and glitter and a huge letter 'A'. It was beautiful. And sturdy. It took a 9 year old to bust it. We all had a wonderful Sunday afternoon with our friends and family enjoying the celebration of birth and life.

Happy 5th birthday my sweet Avery!

Masterpieces

2011-07-26T10:53:00.001-04:00

Kaightlyn designed her own motorcycle above. Below is what she presented me with last week to prepare for the 5th of August 2011.

Above, a list (one of her favorite things to do these days, analyze our lives on paper) of what we all had for dinner, who ate what and how many. Below, a town. Any time I draft a house or the garden or something on graph paper, my two mini-me's get to work as well. They love drawing homes and city's and floor plans.

Below left, Mom's portrait drawn by Kaighty in pencil and Pastels. Right, Horses, her second favorite thing to draw. It says "wow, easy boy". LOL

Above, another list, this one in Spanish using her Spanish English dictionary. The two below were a series we all worked on, "ladies". The top one is Kaighty's and the one below is Avery's (she asked me to draw the dress and she did the rest).

Avery's work. Above is a rainbow abstract piece and if you look closely in the lower left hand corner she used a yellow crayon to write Justin Beiber. Below is Avery's self portrait and a huge eye ball.

Over a Month

2011-07-25T12:17:00.000-04:00

It is a rare occurrence that I go a whole month with out posting here. I guess you could say we've been busy. Summer is a time for pools and friends and rest. The heat in south Georgia is so intense and the humidity so overwhelming that you tire out quickly. Hang two loads of wash, water the garden and rest during a long lunch. Then follow that up with a few hours of swimming in the luck warm local pool and then rest till its time to make dinner. Out to collect and put away the laundry and clean up after dinner and your pretty much spent for the day. I have not even been sewing in the evenings, I am just beat. With the exception of birthday gifts of course!

The garden that was once overflowing with green is now laden with death and bugs. The stink bugs pretty much took over the last living things, including the volunteer tomatoes. I have some type of vine borer that got to all the squash I planted in June as the second round. The black eyed peas did well and the pink eye purple hull peas did amazing. From one pack of seeds we harvested 3 milk crates of dried pods and spent the night watching our favorite show (Sons of Anarchy) and shelling peas. It was fun, messy, but fun. The watermelons have produce two more mammoths, but I think they are spent as well. The one we all bet on ended up measuring in at:
Weight: 11.5 lbs
Length: 16"
Circumference: 22.5"
Date Picked: 6-20-11

Kaighty won the bet and got 3 out of 4 closest to the real thing! Good job buddy!

Avery and I have been chilling in the kitchen. Making bread and what not. She loves to invent new things and made me these awesome feet decorations with hairbands. She is so clever. While we did this, Kaighty made her own Scrabble on the floor. Look at some of those big words! The girls also have learned how to cross their eyes. It is hilarious and creepy all at the same time! Well I hope you are all enjoying your summer as much as we are. It is quickly coming to and end with big plans on the horizon for the Jowers' this fall!

Making Dinner

2011-06-23T08:55:00.000-04:00

Here is our last squash harvest from the first plants set out in March. The second group of plants are almost full grown and will start putting fruit on in the next week or two, pending rain. The Pepsi is just a prop to show how full and vibrant these squash are. These are grown 100% organic with out a single chemical, OMRI certified or not. The bugs were hand picked from the plants and once the plants wilted from exhaustion, we removed them from the soil and composted them.

These were bound for squash casserole, and the freezer. We washed their skins, although I normally do not. Avery was concerned their may be bird or bug feces on these. I prefer eating them raw from the garden with just a brush off using a dry rag to remove dirt. I feel the extra goodies on the skin are beneficial in helping you build a strong immune system, like pollen and particles from the local air.

Avery started out cutting with a butter knife, and found it was harder to press it through the squash than when she cuts watermelon. So I moved her up to a real knife. With a blade. At 4 she can maneuver a knife like most grown housewives. She cut just as many squash as I did. She did one heck of a job chopping and dicing Zuchs for the pot! I love my helper, she is developing some real skills. I am sure, at some point in her life, she will professionally cook.

Eight days later...

2011-06-13T20:23:00.001-04:00

So... on June 5th I took this picture below of our first watermelon. It was barely the size of my thumb.

By June 10th it was almost 8" long and growing quickly. Joey wanted to name it, so it has been officialluy named Buford.

Here, on June 11th it had grown to 8 3/4" long and was almost 4 " wide (above). Now today,(3 pictures below) June 13th the beautiful giant that he is can even be seen from the house! Coming in at a whopping 11 3/4" long, 5" wide with a circumference of 17" he's going to be a beast. We are making bets as to when he will be ready for picking and how big he will be in the end, weight, length and circumference. Ofcorse everyone in our house with a July birthday is betting we will cut into it on those dates! Any bets from the world wide web?

Final:        Weight          Length         Circumference        Date Picked
Avery             40lbs             20"                  19"                          7-27 (5th Birthday)
Kaighty 20lbs            18"                   17"                         6-21
Cheryl             24lbs            26"                   27"                         6-25
Joey                22 1/4lbs      26"                   26"                         7-3 (33rd Birthday)

Growing!

2011-06-10T10:43:00.000-04:00

Look at how much our watermelon has grown in the 3 days since we found it. Remember it was the size of my thumb? Now we have located 2 others and are watching in amazement as they almost grow before our eyes. With 5 plants, we should get quiet a few melons this year.

Unknown Flower Contest

2011-06-09T16:14:00.000-04:00

Tammy said, "The unknown looks kinda like Gaillardia, Indian blanket. I'm trying to grow them from seed right now. They are drought tolerant and will help hold down my sandy soil, they grow on the beach and dunes here. Do you think that's it''?

Gaillardia is a possibility. When I started that bed 6 years ago I did have some Gaillardia seed from a seed exchange and planted it then. They never came up, since then I have not put that seed out again. The Gaillardia flower is about 2-3" wide and this flower head is 6 plus inches. Also notice the petal shape. These are individual petals that grow from the center in groups of 10 or more. They are long ovals with a very small snip at the end. The leaves grow in a bush like form from the base of the plant and are a light grayish green with fuzz all over them. Almost resembling Lambs Ears with out the thickness.

It could be this flower Gazania Krebsiana, except again the plant itself is too small. This bush like plant is 24" tall with the flowers rising to almost 40" above the ground. I have 2 of these mystery plants growing in my main flower bed right now and can't figure out what they are or where they came from.

I will be saving seeds and will send a pack of them to anyone who can help me identify these beauty's!

Bellow is the flower before it blooms and the side of the plant.

Cat Corner

2011-06-09T07:49:00.000-04:00

Dear Flora,

I'd Like for you to know that I Love You. When I saw you I knew you where the one for me. No other cat would have fit me. My mom wanted a differint one. With the help of my sister an frind I knew you where the one for me.

Love, Kaightlyn

I rarely suggest an art project anymore. In fact I don't even have to set them up. The girls have full access to the art supplies (kept in the buffet in the dinning room as well their own desks and art supplies in their rooms). Kaightlyn worked on this project over a three day span. It was 100% her idea, and was executed with out my knowledge. She just does her own thing. I love it. Look at how cute Flora's area is now. Complete with love letter, artwork of her favorite prey, food, water, bed and mini forest all set up by her lovely mother.

Garden in Bloom

2011-06-08T12:05:00.000-04:00

Our first Watermelon was spotted and photographed just 2 nights ago. It has doubled in size since then. Below are some of the flowers in the girls adjoining flower garden (also grown organically). In fact, I was thinking about this and our entire property has been free of chemicals for more than 2 years now. So technically we are almost eligible for organic certification. Not that I could ever afford to, or even want to for that matter. Just a cool thing to think about.

Above and below are Zinnias.

Above, not sure. Below, Echinacea (Purple Cone Flower) is very drought tolerant and thriving this year! I even have 3 plants that came up in white this year, very odd.

My first go at Canning

2011-06-07T09:24:00.000-04:00

We went to Barney a few weekends ago for some peaches. They sell firm peaches for $25 a box and "ripes" in the same size box for $5. I prefer my peaches ripe anyway so we left with 2 boxes of ripes and plans for our bounty! On my list of "to learn" so I can be a homesteader is of course, canning. However the thought of all that boiling water really scared me and I have never tried more than freezer jam. I worked at Mallory's Farm the Saturday before with Mr. Tony Mallory while his wife attended the first every Valdosta farmers market. Tony was making jam that morning and realized I did not know how to can. Well he scooped me up under his wing and taught me how to can jam right there on the spot.

Sunday morning I got busy, with Avery, boiling and and peeling fresh peaches. We sliced and diced, chopped and crushed peaches all morning. By lunch I had canned 24 pints of peach jam, peach marmalade, and whole peach slices in juice.

To date I have now canned blueberry jam and strawberry jam as well (never jelly, I use the whole fruit, skin seed and all) and have now put up 64 jars of fruit. Now to learn to can veggies. I need to find a pressure cooker first, but then... watch out veggie patch!

We also made peach syrup. Not like pancake syrup at all. This is crushed peaches with a bit of simple syrup added and boiled until soft. Then canned. It is fabulous on plain yogurt (especially if it is soft homemade yogurt like ours) with some fresh fruit! Yummy.

Breakfast of late

2011-05-26T08:31:00.000-04:00

Leftover fresh bread from dinner topped with cream cheese and peach marmalade jam with a tall glass of ice cold milk.

The Jam was made just last week. This was my first attempt at canning and it went very well. All the jam set up properly and all my lids sealed. So I am very happy! Bread is baked daily now, we mix up new dough every 4 days and store it the fridge. Then you pull it out one pound at a time and let it rise one more time before baking it at lunch time.

Full Circle Gardening

2011-05-25T15:41:00.000-04:00

The peas are spent. It is just too hot here for them. With highs in the 90's and lows in the 70's, summer is here and all cool season veggies are done. We clipped one third of the plants at the dirt level and hung them upside down to dry for a few weeks. Then we can harvest the seeds for next years garden. The girls can't wait for the pods to dry fully so we can pop them all out. This will be the pattern all year in our garden. Grow, eat, harvest, dry, save.

Impromptu Tepee

2011-05-23T21:45:00.000-04:00

Spring cleaning is over here. However the trees are dropping with lush new leaves and needed a small trim. I got out the hand saw and cut only the very lowest branches, about 8 in all. This is our backyards centerpiece tree, a beautiful native Cyprus. We love this tree. It provides the coolest dappled shade in the whole yard. It holds all the bird feeders and shelters the bird bath along with the hammock. That being said, I do not like trimming it at all, however when the branches touch the grass and we can no longer see the birds feeding or relax in its shade, I just have to trim a bit. So a bit was trimmed and the girls, my super wonderful helpers of late, hauled the branches to a central spot. Then they built, or tired to build, in the middle of the yard, a home from the branches. I gave them a hand and suggested they use the fence to support the main large branches. So Kaighty finished building it while Avery hauled the branches over. Then they both proceeded to decorate their new home with flowers from the garden. Avery finished the tepee with blankets, pillows and some light reading material. They then played in their tepee for the rest of the afternoon. Love these creative little ladies of mine!

Clothes Line

2011-05-23T13:28:00.001-04:00

About 6 weeks ago Joey and I built a clothes line outside. We have a dryer that squeaks and screams so loudly when on that no one can tolerate being in the house wit it. With no money in the budget for a new one and frankly no desire to buy another appliance, we built a solution. It took three weekends to do. Yup that's right, way too long! We do not own a saw so this was truly built by hand. Joey and I took turns cutting the landscaping timbers with a Pull to Cut Saw to the sizes we thought we would need. Neither of us have ANY WOOD WORKING experience at all. So this part went smoother than we thought.... until we had to install the posts. Being smart folks, as we sometimes are, we chose not to read the concrete requirements for installing posts and just decided to split one bag between the two side. Ha ha ha, everything looked great, the posts were level and I gave them 48 hours to set before I tried to thread the clothes line. With one tiny yank of the string I pulled one whole post over. Now very frustrated, I spent the next hour trying to get the second post out of the ground and then proceeded to hack all the concrete off the posts. We got rain over the next few days, 5" actually, which postponed completion for another weekend. With five new bags of concrete on hand, we dug new holes (previous hole still mucky from the rain) and re-installed the posts using ONLY concrete and no dirt. After allowing them to dry for a week, I crossed my fingers and restrung the poles. We have been hang drying our clothes for the last month and love it. I do one load first thing in the morning and hang it out after breakfast. I listen to the birds and enjoy the quiet time alone outside. Then after dinner I head back out and fold it as I remove it from the line. I love the way the laundry looks blowing in the wind. My clothes are now more crisp and clean than ever (unless a bird poops on it).

Harvesting

2011-05-19T10:00:00.000-04:00

Last week we puled in another large squash harvest. I took out the last of the Pak Choy on Sunday as well. It had been shaded by the peas which were removed the day before and they looked wilted and tired by late afternoon. So May 15 is the final harvest date for any lettuce, Pak Choy and Peas in my very warm zone 8B.

The last edible Romain heads (3 in this bunch). They had a very strong taste which was almost bitter. These had not bolted yet, but are definitely done for the year. I am, however leaving a dozen Romain's and a few Arugula's in the garden so they can go to seed and be harvested as such.

The girls LOVE to wash and weigh anything we pick. We have a big master chart (graph) and we measure everything in ounces. At the end of the season it will be easy to add all the ounce measurements for a grand tally to be divide by 16. Giving us a pound tally for each vegetable harvested in 2011. This is a very good opportunity for Kaightly to practice her math. Please excuse the mass pile of dishes in these photos. We have been blowing through dirty dishes at an alarming rate with food preparation.
We now make our own:

Yogurt (weekly by the 1/2 gallon) after a friend taught me how easy it is.
Fresh bread every other day from one of two cookbooks. Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day or No Need to Knead.
Canning our own Jam. No more store bought.
Freezing and putting up fresh veggies and from our garden and 3 local fruit farms (peaches, strawberries and blueberries can all be handpicked fresh in this area right now).
Granola for muffin tops and yogurt topping

Pictorial Garden Progress

2011-05-11T16:09:00.002-04:00

Dried out onion patch with butternut squash plants creeping around. Note: Before Joey tilled another 250 square feet for me, I had run out of garden space to plant all my squash babies. So you will see them everywhere around the yard, including the flower beds.

Rainbow fingerling potatoes about 12" tall now.

Black eye pea patch about 9" tall and doing great. To the left of them there are 3 watermelon plants that will vine over towards the fence and then maybe even up it.

My beans are finally greening up and climbing. It is hard to tell, but they have now climbed about 6' up, just the vine with tiny leaves so far and flowers.

My Pak Choy is huge! I need to harvest these in the next week as I'm sure they will just get bitter and tough.

The squash are huge as well. We have already harvested over 10lbs of Zucchini alone, not including all the yellow squash and patty pans that are coming in as well. I have somewhat solved my stink bug problem organically, yeah! We visit the garden daily and use a cloths pin to grab the adult bugs and drop them in soapy water. The girls then follow me on an egg hunt. Their eggs are rust brown and are laid in a perfect group, easily visible on the deep green leaves. The girls cut out the patch of eggs from the leaf and put it in the soapy water as well. Reducing re-population is key!

Carrots looking amazing. Going to give these a bit longer.

The garden looking up the pat at the NW corner. Peas are on the left and squash on the right.

Moonglow pears are growing nicely on our new tree. We should get a dozen at least this year.

First butternut squash is about 2" long. This one is actually growing from a pot, poor thing was a victim of "no more room in the garden" as well.

Blueberries are coming right along. Below: The garden view from the back porch. Peach tree on the left.

Birth, and my frustrations with it.

2011-05-10T09:14:00.000-04:00

I would like to preface this with the simple statement, I am obsessed with natural childbirth. I have been since I was 5. It is all can think of, and I am really good at it. We currently have two children. We, both Joey and I want four children. It was our plan before we ever said I DO. We wanted a large family. We both cam from 2 sibling households and just wanted more family in the future to surround ourselves with. We face a few problems now when considering adding a third child to our family.

1. Cheryl reads too much. I just finished Ina May's Guide to Childbirth and know without a shadow of a doubt I want a homebirth if there is ever another Jowers' member added. Having 2 very uncomplicated, worry free pregnancies followed by 2 very short easy labors means I can do this. Avery was delivered with-out an epidural, even further cementing in my mind that I can do this with good female support. However there are no midwives in S. GA, that I can find. The laws are not for homebirths. We have lots of CNM's, but legally they can only deliver a woman in a medical setting, ie. office or hospital. Our state allows midwives, however they require they be licensed and then offer no license program. Basically making it illegal. There is a birthing center 2 1/2 hours away in FL but I would be hard pressed to get there in time (Avery was born only 4 1/2 hours after my FIRST contraction). Plus laboring in the car sounds like hell, and I may as well be in a hospital bed. With no midwives around that leaves me teetering on a UA-birth an d Joey not so happy.

2. The economy leaves us feeling as if I need to go back to work. With gas and groceries on the rise we will need the extra cash soon. This means girls back in public school and me a 9-5 for the first time since Kaighty was born. I am not in the mood to have them attend afterschool care, but may have no choice. In this instance it would be ludicrous to have another child, only to pop it into full time day care at 6 weeks of age. Something my other 2 have never done for even ONE day of their lives. Just so you know this is my least favorite plan for many reasons, including handing my children over for someone else to raise and assuming our family is complete. I never wanted to not have children because I felt I could not afford them, and that is how I currently feel. Which is an awful feeling.

3. My dream job is to become a midwife. This will be later down the road of course. And will require a move out of state. For now I am trying to become a DONA certified Doula. This is also very difficult as I have only found one other Doula locally (in FL again) who seems to think it is now only a charity job. She has not been paid for a single delivery this year (economy again) but has rather been traded goods or just did it for free. I hope to shadow her for a few births and still need to read 4 additional books plus take a 3 day course. So I will be working on this for another year or so.

4. Surrogacy. I have also wanted to be a surrogate for as long as I can remember. When I was young, I had this weird feeling that my brother would one day marry a woman who could not have babies and I would have one for them. It turns out his wife's uterus works just fine and gave them a beautiful baby girl two years ago. That being said I still want to do it. I can not imagine the pain associated with being unable to have a child. As much as I am obsessed with my own children I think being barren could easily push me over the edge. That being said, I think this may be my answer. The job I can do. One I love doing. One that I can do with my girls around me. One I can selflessly do for another family. The girls can stay with me and I can continue to teach them, while showing them compassion for others. Something that our society lacks.

So that is where I am at. Mentally fighting a battle with myself as to which option best fits me and us. I have the next two months to figure out where I am going and what is best for my family.

Our first carrot.

2011-05-09T21:49:00.000-04:00

They are not ready yet, not sweet enough and not nearly large enough. However I was quiet happy with it's shape and lack of blemishes. This carrot (like most others that were planted by 2 very small eager hands) was planted smack dab in between two other carrots. He had no room to grow and needed to be removed. He was washed and eaten raw, with vigor and delight. I am beginning to think the harvest will be good this year.

Nature breaks my heart, sometimes.

2011-05-08T14:21:00.000-04:00

Today I woke first. I managed to sleep in pretty late, but just could not stay in bed any longer. Needed my coffee and a leg stretch. Upon entering the kitchen I heard the birds outside going crazy. As soon as I looked out the window I saw why. Our cat Flora (who has killed 3 moles for us in the past month) has perfected her hunting and climbing skills lately. She had stolen a baby Mocking Bird from it's nest in our Holly tree. It was in her mouth and the birds parents were dive bombing and squawking at her. Knowing there was a nest in our climbing tree, we have been listening to these babies for days and waiting to see their first flight. Flora then ran from the scene, bird in mouth and dropped it on the rug at the back door. I was so angry. This is such waist. Why would a cat kill for pleasure. Why does anyone do it with-out reason? I would understand if she wasn't fed, by us, she would need to hunt and would eat her kill. But this is not the case. She kills for sport. This baby may actually live. It is still breathing and pooping 6 hours later, but has a broken leg for sure. We have it safely stored in a warm place away from the cat and have given it water and some blueberries. The girls have named it Abigail. It is old enough to feed itself and will be flight ready in a few days.... if it lives. I wonder if it can survive with one good leg? As for Mothers Day I was scolded for getting up first and sent back to bed. I read for about 30 minutes and then was served warm honey orange rolls with fresh blueberries by my 2 beautiful daughters. Whom I love dearly. We are off to the park to ride bikes on this beautiful Sunday afternoon.

Fishing on the dock

2011-05-04T09:05:00.000-04:00

We spent last Sunday afternoon at Banks Lake fishing. With worms in hand we all baited up and threw our hooks in. Avery got casting down pretty quickly for her first fishing trip ever. Kaightlyn will need some practice still. Uncle Matt sent them these poles last Christmas and Avery has not been interested in using them at all. Kaighty and Joey fished a couple of times in Cherry Log Georgia Christmas two years ago. A man brought around his catch over to show us and the girls were fascinated. We did not catch a thing. A pesky turtle kept eating our bait right off our hooks. It was a lovely evening spent with family and we all enjoyed the peaceful quiet of the lake paired with Avery's chatty self!

Getting it done.

2011-04-29T20:33:00.000-04:00

Morning work on the back porch. Avery set herself up this cute little work area with a baby blanket made by my mom. She was working really hard on cutting out a heart, and some Math work for KG. Can you tell how happy she is about doing math? Lol

Do I have a problem?

2011-04-27T16:19:00.000-04:00

I think my onions are rotting. I dug trenches to allow the water to flow away from them, but they aren't really growing very big bulbs and the tops seam to be dying already. Hum. Not sure.

The bean tepee with squash to the left. These pictures are about 2 weeks old, I am so behind on blogging, but changing your entire way of living takes time. Lots of it, in both reading, trying and failing, before finally exceeding on what you should already know how how to do. Our society is just so far removed from self sufficiency its scary.

A bug, whom I can figure out what he is. He is mating and I have been removing them and dropping them into soapy water for now.

Peas still producing and still growing. They are almost 5' tall now. I will sake them better next year for sure, and plant a secession crop as well.

Beets and Pak Choi getting ready for harvest as well.

The harvest has begun,

2011-04-27T15:54:00.000-04:00

and with that so have the problems. Although relatively few in comparison to last years dismal crop. I do have a ramped case of blossom end rot occurring in the squash plants. Avery and I have gone out every morning for the last week to hand pollinate the flowers with a small paint brush. She knows the difference between a male (pollinator) flower and the female flower already and does this job on her own. Today she was startled by a bee, who was doing his job and pollinating for us. This is the first bee we have seen in our garden this year. How sad, my grandchildren may never see a bee, or taste it's sweet honey. If you use any pesticide, even through a professional exterminating company, I urge you to stop. It is so very harmful to our water, our bodies and wildlife across the board. Smaller creatures are the first to disappear, frogs and bees are on that list. Take back your property and stop using toxic waist to prevent pest, with a healthy well balance yard, there is no need for chemicals.... at all! Anyway we took a moment to thank the bee for all it's hard work and invited him back to pollinate the rest of our veggies. The bread bowl is full of today's harvest. Five Zucchinis, one yellow squash, a cup of snow peas, and one beet picked by my buddy AC.

Growth

2011-04-14T10:14:00.000-04:00

Just to show you how tall our peas are, Avery stood by them yesterday morning. She is about 40" tall. I did an experiment with these peas. We are growing 2 different varieties, each one has two double rows 3' in length. On one double row for each variety I dug a trench next to the small plants that were about 4" tall at the time and filled it with composted chicken manure. The other two rows were left alone. The 2 rows with chicken manure are about 6-12" taller as well as very full and producing about twice as many peas. Now I know that net year I will plant my peas in a thorough of chicken manure and plant twice as many rows. Avery then helped me spot and pick peas. Here is our first basket to bring inside and steam for dinner. Not many, but they were so sweet and crunchy.

Beautiful squash blooms. I am so eager to fry some of these up, but will wait until I am getting fruit off of the plants first. We are starting new squash plants every 4 weeks and will continue this trend until August, to ensure a nice yield and to eat fresh veggies all summer and fall, HOPEFULLY!

Avery and I made our first loaf of "sandwich" bread that required kneading. It was fun and they were delicious. I love buying older books from the libraries back door book store. I find the best cook books there, and for a dollar they are a steal. This recipe for Honey Rye Bread came from a book I got at the sale called Cooking with Honey by Hazel Burto. It is an awesome book with hundreds of recipes, most coming from her grandparents who were do it yourself or do with out pioneers. My second favorite cookbook currently is called The Complete Sprouting Cookbook, by Karen Cross Whyth. Another fabulous super healthy book about eating LIVING food, something most Americas don't do everyday or even once a month.

Expansion

2011-04-13T22:46:00.000-04:00

We borrowed a small tiller this past weekend and Joey expanded our garden. We did this just to chop up the layer of hard crab grass and save the topsoil. Then I topped it with 32 cubic feet of compost that I built last November. Because my "bins" are so large, I turn them only once at the 2 month mark or so. Mostly when I feel I need some REAL exercise and when it is less than 60 degrees out.

Not sure exactly how much square footage I have now, but I will measure once I get the paths covered with leaf mulch and the edges finished with wood. I think the wood barrier is fine now that I am adding heaps of fresh compost to my plants as well as the occasional nightwater. This years garden is so thrilling. I feel like I might actually sort of know what I'm doing now and might actually get a decent harvest. We'll see. I think I will add a harvest tab on top to keep up with what we eat from our garden this year. I do keep a written journal but this will be neat to look back on during the upcoming winter MONTH and plan for next years crop.

Post 200

2011-04-12T14:18:00.000-04:00

Wow. I have sat here 200 times since the end of 2008 and writen about what most important in our lives. I would like to thank all of you for taking the journey with us. It has been a blast and I love to read back and see what I wrote, what has changed in my mind since and how my children have grown. This is my favorite place to be. I love keeping this journal of our lives and I hope my children will read it and remember all the good times we did have. Thanks for sticking with us--it means a great deal to me!

Lunch today. Bento box style, as Avery says. In color order:

3 yogurt covered raisins
2 hard boiled eggs
raw carrots
peach yogurt
apricot pecan granola (made by Avery yesterday)
mango's

Well balanced and well liked. Avery ate it all. Its the presentation I swear, she kept talking in her Japanese voice saying "what a lovely bento box my mother made me, she is a chief you know", to her sister. Funny girl.

It's going to blow!

2011-04-10T08:22:00.000-04:00

Last month we did a super fun project that I totally forgot to write about. We, correction, they built a volcano. The girls mixed up a batch of salt dough. Yes they can really do this themselves now. We colored the dough with cocoa powder to make it look like a real mountain. They used a cardboard box and started building. I gave them an old jelly jar and showed them how to put the dough onto the jar and box then left them to build their own mountain. Once the mountain was completed they decorated it with plants making it look like a real volcano in the jungle. Then we followed the tutorial here for the actual experiment, red lava. The extra ingredients in this recipe really make the volcano burst and bubble more than your generic baking soda and vinegar. My girls spent about 45 minutes total on this project and then erupted our volcano about 8 times each, including a private show for Joey when he got home from work. This was one of their favorite projects in March. They were smitten.

Avery's volcano person. She was so proud of her work.

You spin me right round, baby, right round...

2011-04-06T16:12:00.000-04:00

...like a record baby, right round round round.

We have been spinning our salad spinner for days now. We are addicted to the color combinations and variations made when dripping paint from a spoon and then spinning your paper in a salad spinner. We can watch from the outside as my spinner is clear and actually see the paint fly off the page. The hardest part about this is waiting for your turn. I pre-cut heavy paper in a circle and put names on them so we know whose is who's. Once they are dry, we glue 2 together and hang them from the ceiling, they look awesome! Week to date we have made over 35 prints (Mom made a few today just to try it out, but the rest belong to the girls) and came up with 3 unique techniques.

3-5 colors spun once
2-3 colors spun then topped with 2-3 more colors and spun again
top colors before or after spinning with glitter

What kitchen gadgets do you use for art projects and do your kids love it?

Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk,

2011-04-04T19:23:00.012-04:00

.......I'm a woman's man, no time to talk.

Avery jamming out and dancing to music is pretty much seen everyday here. She is so athletic and loves to keep her body moving. Let me tell you, for a girl who has never had a single dance lesson, shes GOT MOVES that would blow your socks off, and she's only 4. I guess if your going to have rhythm, your born with it. And she was definitely born with it!

I made this IPOD purse so they can listen hands free.

Improvement

2011-04-04T07:17:00.009-04:00

In the middle of March my Garden was having issues, both with grow and with a nitrogen deficiency. Well I solved both problems completely organically by doing the following:

poured a nice heaping scoop of fresh wet compost on each plant (half of my own compost and 1/2 chicken manure compost which is high in nitrogen)
soaked them with compost tea made and some diluted nightwater
topped the bed with a 1" layer of dry fresh compost
added mulch, 3" of alfalfa hay

Look at my plants now, especially the squash both in the garden and in pots. They are a lush emerald green and thriving, only 13 days after their treatment. Organic gardening is definitely more labor intense, but if your willing to work it is definitely very rewarding. Much like parenting.

Our Alaska Peas are blooming and we can see a few 1/2 pods. Wont be long now. Onions in bunches with leaf mulch, looking oh so fine.

Missing them

2011-04-02T13:34:00.000-04:00

We have been missing our dear friends triple J and S over the past 8 months. Our families have know each other for 6 years and our children have grown up together. J and I were even pregnant together, Avery and S are only 8 weeks apart. They came home for spring break and the "old gang" was reunited as if they were never separated. We all enjoyed a lovely afternoon at Grand Bay.

A hike up to the observation deck was disappointing for the small children as we did not see one single Alligator. However, the adults were content with the Great White Egrets we spotted nesting in grove of trees at the south end of the preserve.

A little hide and go seek was in order as well as some imaginary husband and wife set up by the true believer in family, Avery Claire. We miss having boys around our age to play with. It was a lovely time catching up, we miss our friends already!

A Quote and a Question

2011-03-29T16:27:00.000-04:00

Sometimes the road less traveled is less traveled for a reason.
- Jerry Seinfeld

Is this because most Americans, current day people, are too comfortable and concerned with material belongings and appearances to venture onto the road less traveled?

I found the girls playing UNO together while I had been in the shower one afternoon last week. Still in their PJ's after lunch. What a life they have. I am so proud, my 7 and 4 year know how to play UNO, and many other card and board games on their own.

After the Rain

2011-03-29T07:05:00.002-04:00

Sisters. I love sisters making each other laugh. Avery has the most contagious, amazing hysterical laugh and we all love hearing it. Even Kaightlyn who, this morning at breakfast did a "cool trick" with her vanilla wafers just for a good laugh!

After breakfast and study time, we headed out to see what the large storm had done last night. I wanted to check on the garden too! Kaighty measured the rain for us in our old school rain catching bucket set in the middle of our open patio. According to her it read 4 inches (she is correct by the way), so we added it to our rain catalog for the year. A unit study on rain patterns is in the works.

After our afternoon PE (a mile long bike ride was all Avery wanted to do), the girls decided they needed to play in the mud. They donned their boots and play clothes and got down right dirty. Avery and Kaighty both fell in what they call the "quick sand pit" where their boots would become suctioned in the mud. It was hilarious to watch. When all was said and done they striped down and got sprayed off with the garden hose before taking a nice hot shower!

Kaighty decided she should do a little water color while I made dinner. Have you noticed a pattern about our day? They decide. They decide what to do throughout the day. That is the beauty of being at home with me. They shape everyday of their childhood and learn along the way. I love it. They love it.

She is expecting ......

2011-03-26T10:11:00.000-04:00

Totally embarrassed that I am photographing her, Avery is covering her face. This is a game played over and over everyday right now in our house. Live deliveries and all. I love to listen through the door and hear them explain what is going on in their imagination. She will be a beautiful pregnant woman, when the time comes.

Berries, yum!

2011-03-23T11:42:00.001-04:00

The local strawberry patch opened yesterday and it was all we could do to not run over there in the heat of the afternoon and pick a million of them. It did heat up to 86 here yesterday and we have not had rain or a breeze in over a week, so its pretty hot now. Our first day of spring feels like the first day of summer in Virgina and above. But this mornings 66 was perfect for berry picking. We have been picking in this field every spring for the past 7 years. Including the year Kaighty was born. She was 5 days old the first time we picked berries at Southern Grace Farms. She rode happily strapped in a carrier on my chest while my Mom and I picked a gallon of berries. Since then we realized Joey went to school with the woman who runs the field and knows her family well. The girls and I have even worked the strawberry stand the last 2 years which is super fun (until June when it is to hot and you can't wait for the sun to go down).

So today the girls and I headed out at 9 and picked berries in the field not even a mile from our house. It only took us about 15 minutes and 1/3 of a row to fill 2 baskets up. Not any old baskets either, gallon sized baskets. And look at these berries. Look how wonderfully red and gigantic they are. The same berry is pictured throughout in Avery's hand, then with a penny, and finally centered on top of the basket of berries just as big. I know what were having for dinner, breakfast. Pancakes with fresh whipped cream, and Strawberries, oh and some bacon too!

Water Color

2011-03-22T22:58:00.000-04:00

March is a month of birthdays around here. Kaighty's very good friend JP was born just 8 days before her. One of our main goal this year (the girls and I, that is) is to ensure that any gift we give is handmade or very special to us. Right down to the card and wrapping paper. For grown up gifts I use old clothing patterns picked up at the thrift store for 10 cents each. Children, however love color so we try and hand paint or draw a mural to wrap the gift in. The girls and I spent a good hour making this butcher paper wrapping paper to cover JP's gifts in. She is the proud recipient of a handmade journal (fabrics picked out and organized by the girls) as well as 2 of the girls favorite chapter books. The art work is obviously enjoyed by the receiver. When we visited JP's house a week after her birthday, the wrapping paper we made for her was hung in their living room for all to see and enjoy.

Seven

2011-03-19T09:01:00.047-04:00

Seven years ago at this very minute you were born. You were the first. The first great grandchild born to the Moore's. The first grandchild born in our whole family and our first child. You were named Kaightlyn Grace, pure-hearted and graceful. Your Dad and I were awestruck. We were in love.

Over the years we have gotten to know you more intimately. You are no longer a mystery baby in my womb. You are a beautiful child growing quickly into a young adult. We are so very proud of how far you have come in life thus far. You are eager to learn and so very curious, artistic, compassionate, animal lover, adventurer, sensitive and gentle. I love you more and more each year I spend with you. I do hope with all my heart our relationship continues on this way. I love you beautiful. Happy 7th Birthday!

Photos.
1. Kaighty with her new leather journal. She loves to write and draw everyday and everywhere we go. When I saw this message on a journal from InBlue, I knew it was for Kaighty, "not all who wander are lost," the seller even put a custom horse print on the front for us.
2. I made Kaightlyn a birth chart with her signs, listing the meanings and hand drawing pictures to go along with each one.
3. Her gifts from us. WE decided to have a handmade year. Every gift would be handmade either by us or another artisan. If this is not possible, then second hand would be best. We also asked that if she be given a gift that it be a book. The giver could either recycle a book off their own shelf or buy new. She got some amazing books.
4. At her party in the park which she thoroughly enjoyed.

Nitrogen added

2011-03-18T10:57:00.000-04:00

A fellow blogger (Patrick from the blog Saltonstalls) brought up a point I had yet to think of. Something I knew, yet never really realized could be happening in my garden. He said, "It's hard to tell exactly from the photos, but I seem to notice a lot of wood chips and bark on/in your soil. I think I've heard that soil uses up nitrogen to break down wood."

Patrick is right. My soil is full of wood chips. Last spring when I started this garden I ordered soil from a local nursery. We tiled the ground about 8" deep, grass and all. I then hauled 2 square yards of mushroom compost and potting mix from the side yard where it was delivered to the newly tilled garden plot and dumped it on top. You can see that process here (notice my 2 beautiful large Bradford Pears in the background of the garden and the pile of dirt? They both fell with-in weeks of this post and had to be removed).

Anyway, the potting mix was not my idea, I wanted all mushroom compost. However the lady at the nursery convinced me that as a new gardener I should add potting mix to keep my soil light. Why did I let her convince me that all my research was invalid and she knew better? The potting mix is laden with wood chips and every time it rains, they all come to the surface and create this nice "crust" on the top of my soil. Not to mention how dry this expensive soil really is. One day after rain or watering, you pick up a handful of this dirt and it is dry and dusty. My onion bed which was spared this mix, is full of beautiful natural soil that retains water and has microbial life, including earthworms which my main garden has non of. I was also given advice from a local organic gardener to add wood chips to my compost, so I did. So now I am topping my garden already filled with wood chips with even more wood chips.

This is what I did find on wood chips and nitrogen here. "WOOD CHIPS DON’T ROB NITROGEN Okay, they can rob nitrogen from your other plants – but only if you mix the chips into the soil. On top of the soil? No problem. Bacteria and fungi in the soil need lots of nitrogen to break down the coarse fiber in wood chips. If the chips are mixed with the soil in a flower bed, the plant leaves will turn light yellow (chlorotic) because the bacteria abscond with the nitrogen they need."

So, this morning I poured a nice heaping scoop of fresh wet compost on each plant, and then soaked them with compost tea made last night and some diluted nightwater. I also topped the bed with a 1" layer of dry fresh compost and then 3" of alfalfa hay (will add more as the plants grow taller). I am looking to keep the soil moist as well as encourage microbial growth again. According to the Virgina Extension Office, "Hay or straw - A 6- to 8-inch layer of hay or straw provides good annual weed control. These materials decompose quickly and must be replenished to keep down weeds. They stay in place and will improve the soil as they decay".

I am also going to try and find a local stable that will allow me to haul off their horse waist. A thick layer of manure should help rebuild my soil. I now know I will not "buy" dirt ever again. My soil is rich enough and would have done just fine on its own with my organic additions.

Below: this is the garden soil in question after it had been watered this very morning.

Veggie Garden Growing

2011-03-16T22:44:00.001-04:00

It may not look like much to you, but my babies are growing! Most of my squash plants are now about 5" tall with 3-4 sets of leaves. Their leaves are not dark green anymore and are fading towards a nice shade of lime. The girls and I played scientist and used an at home soil test last week. Our pH is perfect sitting at a neutral 7.0, phosphorus and potassium were both medium, but we had very low results for nitrogen. I find this a bit odd, and a huge bummer considering I harvested a whole batch of compost last fall and topped the garden with it and then grass clippings for the winter. I am determined to resolve this organically, so today I dug large holes about 3" away from each plant and put in 1 cup of composted chicken manure. I will then water in some liquid fish emulsion tomorrow and hopefully by Monday see an improvement.

The peas are looking great. Even had a few re-grow after the tops were mysteriously cut off by something during the night last week.

My onions and garlic are almost 10" tall now and growing nicely.

Organic Garden #2

2011-03-05T15:02:00.000-05:00

This years garden is shaping up much better than last years (which I started in late March instead of early February). They say when converting to, or starting your fist organic garden it takes 3 years to get a good yield. The first year you learn the ropes and begin building your soil. By the 2nd year you have now incorporated your own compost and have a little more knowledge (if you spent the winter reading). By the 3rd year your soil is amazing and you have learned enough to grow a good yield. Well, here I sit at the begging of year 2 knowing a lot more than last year. I reworked the beds last fall with finished compost and expanded it to twice the size. I now have a double bed, one 4' and one 5' section in the 20' bed. Giving me 180 square feet to work with.

The root bed is still 7' x 6' and is full, planted with onions and garlic. I set half of the onions out in clusters of 4, it is said to save garden space as well as produce a little smaller onion. I am fine with that too, if you think about it, most of the time you only use half an onion anyway. The unused ground in the main bed is covered in hay to protect the soil from erosion and encourage microbial life in the soil bellow. I also used some leaf mulch to cover half of my planted beds in an effort to retain soil moisture. This is a test, as most farmers/gardeners do not mulch around plants. I keep reading in all the organic gardening books that they DO mulch with yard waist, yet in all the pictures in said books there is never any mulch down, so we shall see. I am a bit worried that the mulch will invite pests at the base of plants, but again, it is a test. I will try and do a better job of keeping you posted this year. I am also going to try an not put my garden to bed, our weather is so nice here we can really garden year round. We'll see. Kaighty and I are optimistic, she is enjoying time in the garden with me almost daily.

Thus far I have planted out in the beds (and seedlings have emerged):

Garlic
Sweet Yellow Onions
Red Onions
Snow Peas
Alaska Peas
Beet tall top early wonder
Beet Detriot dark red
Carrots Red cored chantenay
Lettuce Black seed Simpson
Arugula

Started seeds indoors 3 weeks ago:

Zucchini Elite hybrid (well see about this one, I did not realize it was a hybrid)
Broccoli Calabrese
Broccoli DeCicco
Cucumber Spacemaster
Squash Yellow Strait neck
Squash White Scallop (here they are called patty pans)
Waltham Butternut Squash
Cucumber Marketmore
Yellow crookneck squash

Recycled Crayons

2011-03-04T13:34:00.001-05:00

We are crafting and creating for an upcoming event that will celebrate one little girl and all that she loves. She has decided to hand make gifts for her attendees, convinced they will be more meaningful this way. Over the past few weeks on days that have been cloudy and drizzling, we have been recreating the rainbow. Warming our kitchen with bright shades of Roy G Biv. My heart melts with joy when I think of how much she is like me. I can't believe she is almost 7, where have the years gone? To quickly she has slipped through my fingers and gone from sweet baby needing me to maturing young woman with a plan.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 F
Collect Crayola Crayons (use all the same sizes so they melt easily), peel paper off and break into small pieces.
Fill a oven proof pan with small broken crayons.
Place the pan with crayon bits in the oven and turn the oven off.
Allow crayons to melt (10-15 minutes depending on size and quantity of crayons in pods)
Remove from oven and allow to cool. Be careful when removing the pan, do not slosh it around or your beautiful color variations will mix together.
Turn pan over and pop "new" crayons out.

He loves me, he loves me not

2011-03-03T09:49:00.000-05:00

The girls playing at our local park on the most beautiful day in early February. It was about 72 that day and the sun was shinning through the trees with this amazing vigor that made photographing them a treat! Collecting fallen flowers and making a Valentines heart wreath. Kaighty is actually saying "he loves me, he loves me not" in this black and white picture below. Not sure who she is referencing.

This post should have gone out on Valentines Day. Bummer. All was well in our house that day and we spent it exchanging hand made notes. However, something was brewing and Joey did not feel well. By the end of the week Avery, Mom and Dad had quiet possibly contracted the flu. The following week "flu" by as well, with lots of laundry, home made soups, hot tea and honey, and herbal concoctions. Literally it knocked us down for the count, and we are finally back to our old selves again. Just in time to finish up last minute details on Kaighty's upcoming 7th birthday.

Ruffle Bum, the two hour skirt.

2011-02-11T09:54:00.001-05:00

Avery asked me for a skirt that went to the ground and hid her toes on Tuesday morning. After a small sketch and some measuring, I drafted out a pattern. She went through my stash and picked out this white on fushia print. I cut it a smidge bigger around the waist, as she is finally growing again. At a whopping 37 pounds and 40 inches tall, she is almost twice the size she was only a year ago. She is very physically fit and loves to dance. I mean really LOVES to dance. I hung a full length (full length by her standards that is) mirror, in her room very low to the ground on an adjustable wire. This way as she grows, I can move the mirror with her. It is also tilted out at the top, so if she backs up a bit, she can see her whole body and then some. Avery also has a CD player in her room and will spend an hour at a time dancing in front of the mirror. She has also been know to do an exercise video from start to finish 3-4 times a week, all by herself. She has the body to show for it too. Apparently she has figured this out and wants to show it off. Once she put on the skirt, she rolled her top up so she could see her 4 pack while she dance. She also knows it's dorky to cover your belly buton up with your clothes, as in she drapes her skirt on her hips, ALREADY! So darn cute. Back to the skirt, it only took me 2 hours to make this adorable little thing and a yard of fabric. I up-cycled a little tee shirt material and made little ruffles on the bum. With french side seams and a large hem panel, there are no seams to frey or serge. I am working on a new ETSY store and will be posting about it very soon. Included with be a few PDF's of patterns I have recently written, including this one.

Valentines Day Projects

2011-02-10T09:21:00.003-05:00

BE MINE

Our smallish homeschool art group met at our house 2 weeks ago and we made potential Valentine gifts. The kids rotated throughout 2 different projects with parental guidance. First pasting pre-cut hearts or their own onto white card stock. Then topping it with copious amounts of glitter. Once dry, these were to be cut and folded to create Valentines for loved ones (more on our to come).

Our second project, made for the Dad's (don't worry, the kids could not wait and have handed out their gifts already). This project was borrowed through the Artfull Parent.one of my favorite, favorite, favorite blogs about kids and a natural approach to introducing art. A friend of her's was selling kits to make these adorable string hearts in thier ETSY store and I did not have enough time to order them. So, I found some old wood and we made our own.

We began by having them cut out a paper heart and then held it on their wood as a guide. The kids loved pounding in the nails (did not really love the noise though). Next time I will use a little smaller nails, as they had trouble getting them in far enough. Once all the nails were in, the got to pick out 3 colors of yarn and wound it all over their sculpture. It is one of my favorite pieces of art they have made to date. They look great and the kids were very proud of their work.

Another one bites the dust....

2011-02-09T09:03:00.000-05:00

Project that is. Number 7, Avery's quilted letters are washed and being played with, as I type. The pattern can be found here and is super simple. All you need is scrap material and a child who eagerly wants to learn to spell and read. The only change I made is one I love to make, the batting. I do not like most batting's, with the exception of bamboo and cotton. Both of these are hard to find locally and rather expensive for small projects, so I opt to use a readily available product, Tee shirts. I just cut up old ones before they get to the trash can and store them in my scrap pile. They make a wonderful filler for baby doll blankets, mug rugs and other small projects. Try it, I think you'll like it. It is pre-washed, pre-shrunk and way softer than an artificial batting. My machine also likes it much better and almost never gets jammed up with thread, like it does with lofty batting. The drape of a product made with Tee shirt batting is firm and heavy, yet very snuggly. I am in love with Tee shirt batting. Try it next time and tell me what you think.

Cleaning up

2011-02-08T18:45:00.001-05:00

So, do you remember that list? The one that I want to complete in 2011? Well I am getting things done on it. New projects are still getting started, almost daily it seems, but I am still crossing things off my list. Here is the number 1 project I wanted to start and finish this year, Cloth napkins for our house (no more paper ones or paper towels to buy). In an effort to reduce our monthly spending, reduce consuming, reduce waist. Do you see a pattern here? Reduce, is the name of the game. Reducing to achieve a simplistic peace.

I went out one night last week for some "me" time after Joey got home from work. Wanna guess where I went? For a Mani Pedi .....uh....hell no. I went to the library and the thrift store. No, not Good Will, they are to expensive for used goods and shopped over pretty well here. I went to my hole in the wall unknown favorite thrift store. Where I found a beautiful pale gray and blue paisley twin flat sheet. Along with 7 baskets, 5 hardback antique books, 2 Cabela winter flannel shirts and a winter down vest, all for $14.00. Can't get a third of that at Good Will for $14.00. Any way, I made 18 double sided napkins from that one sheet. The are so soft and luxurious, the girls are in love with them already. In an effort to do as little laundry as possible, I installed tabs on the tops of the napkins. Avery picked pink, Kaighty is black and white, and I am the Orange leather from an old seat cushion (chair still in use, new cushion cover being hand made). Joey gets plain ones because I did 6 first to see if we liked them before thinking up the tab idea. . Hopefully this will allow us to get out our napkin with breakfast and use it throughout the day, putting it in the hamper when we clear our dinner spot that evening. So far they are working nicely and we have just made a small step towards our own Voluntary Simplicity.