Windows Open – September 24

Ahhhhh. The temperatures finally dipped below 90 on the 21st, prompting me to take these pictures.

It was a beautiful day for walking…

 

or fishing…

 

or bike riding.

And now, this morning, I was finally able to open the windows to a nice cool breeze.

I wait all summer for this moment. My windows will be open on every nice (not rainy) day from now till May (or April) when it once again becomes too hot and humid.

My favorite month is coming, and bringing with it our 11th Wedding Anniversary.

Lovely Autumn Blessings to you all!

-Phyllis

It Feels Like September

I love this time of year. There is finally a breeze after a long hot stifling summer. I can work in the garden again- weeding, replenishing, sowing, planting. And there is a stillness in the air, a quietness that I can feel in my soul, refreshing my energy and lifting my spirit.

Farm? or FarmNot?

Is this a farm? Uhhh, no. Not at all. It was—by my definition anyway. We had chickens. I had a little garden. It was a beginning farm… a mini-farm.

But now the chickens are gone, and my gardens are neglected. It’s a weird feeling. Not failure, exactly. Just… struggle. It’ll take years and a lot of work to turn this place into a mini-farm.

So we continue to work, and pray, and live, and raise our children. My number one job right now is Mommy. Also wife, teacher, chef, driver… the list goes on, you know.

Even so, every now and then I just can’t help myself. I got a little crafty this week and repainted this yard sale find. My plans include adding a few more containers to my tiny garden and hopefully getting some veggies and greens this winter.

Double the Yum

I got my first double-yolked egg today!

It was so exciting. Unfortunately, it wasn’t from my chickens. I don’t have any hens right now. :( I got these eggs at the farmer’s market. It was so neat to crack it open and see two yolks slip out.

No, I didn’t take a picture. I crack my eggs directly into the pan to save dish washing. No time for cameras.

Praying I’ll have my own hens again soon…

SunKissed Blessings

 

God blessed me with these surprises in my garden this summer, along with a volunteer tomato plant in my compost pile.

I am so thankful for these blessings. I did no work whatsoever in my garden this spring and summer because I was busy with these blessings:

And one more…

A gorgeous sunset in Live Oak.

Beach Trip

We are blessed that our mini-homestead is 45 minutes away from the Atlantic Ocean. Our girls love the beach.

Ben’s first Saturday off since December called for a family trip to the beach.

I love the one-gallon white buckets from my soap-making for picking up shells. They have lids! No more sand spilled in the car.

Even Eliott had a nice time, wrapped up with Mama.

He was born at home on March 31, 2014, with Mama and Daddy in attendance. His big sisters were in and out of the room with my Mother (Gaga) watching over them.

He was 8 lb 1 oz and 19 1/2 inches long. Born at 10:58 AM. Everyone is doing well. :) <3

When my pregnancy carpal tunnel finally goes away, I will add his birth story to my Kindle Book, Unassisted HomeBirth- a Collection of Real Life Stories, available here.

Strawberries and Roses

 

After this long cold rainy pregnant winter, I’m happily surprised to see that some plants survived.

I love winter for the greens. And the fact that we don’t have to mow. My red lettuce is so pretty. Lyli picked the chives flowers soon after I took this picture. She’s been having a blast snacking on brocolli and cauliflower. I confiscated the chives flowers for stir-fries.

I sure am looking forward to strawberries!

I hope I get some this year. Last year, Lyli and the birds and snails beat me to them.