This Weather is for the Birds... {Keeping Chickens and Ducks}

We'd just gotten home on Sunday, and our youngest (8) could hardly ditch his church clothes, for a pair of shorts, fast enough. You see, it was February and sunny in Seattle... something to be celebrated! Never mind it was 44 degrees (and a winter coat would soon round off his "snow day on top, beach day on bottom" look).

And then to add to the seasonal confusion, all the leaves on the ground may lead you to believe it is fall. We're a little behind on fall clean-up. Truthfully, it always takes us until spring with our little-by-little approach.

Still, the sun was shining and we felt so alive and free... 

Grain Sack for Christmas and a Magazine Feature!

This is a good, but busy, week around here.... Parent-teacher conferences (half days of school), getting ready to host Thanksgiving, a 5th grade World Fair, a 1st grade Thanksgiving party, and decorating our home for Christmas. Did I mention that over the weekend I decided to take on a project in our living room? The timing just felt right. ;)

I'm guessing I'm in good company with you all. 

I look forward to sharing our living room project with you soon. But today, I thought I'd share one of my favorite things to decorate with at Christmastime...

European grain sacks.

I love the pops of red that grain sack pillows add to our mostly neutral decor... 

A Weekend Adventure {Leavenworth, WA}

If you have plans to visit the Seattle area, you'll want to make sure to include an overnighter in the mountainside, Bavarian village of Leavenworth.

It's about a three-hour drive from Seattle, but the drive is actually part of the fun! You'd be hard-pressed to find a more beautiful drive, as you take in mountain views, snow melting into waterfalls, winding rivers, trees and bridges.

Trust me, you'll want to yodel (or maybe that's just me). ;)

Farmhouse Style: A little touch of pink...

With a house full of boys, it's nice to have a little touch of pink. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't change those dirty feet, booming voices, basketball dribbling, bear-hugging  boys for anything! But still, the splash of pink that peonies from the garden bring is a refreshing sight this time of year...

Spring at our Farmhouse...

It's that time of year when I start getting home and garden A.D.D.

More than usual.

I'll weed the flower beds! 

I'll plank above the fireplace... 

I'll clean off the back porch!

I'll go through all of my kids' drawers and closets.

Ice Cream Cone Cupcake Teepees and Teepee Art...

I've had the privilege of teaching our boys' art docent classes at school the last several years. I often teach with my sister. (Two of our kids are in classes with their cousins. :)

Today's art class was for my youngest son's Kindergarten class. Since November is just days away, I decided on a teepee art project that would start us thinking about Thanksgiving. The actual art is further down in this post... but first, I couldn't resist making these ice cream cone cupcake teepees as a treat for the students! 

One Last Summer Hurrah! {Whistler}

We woke our boys up early the other morning 

and headed out for a "mystery trip..." 

My parents used to take my sister and me on mystery trips when we were little. I remember the excitement of not knowing where we were headed! The mystery trip was sometimes a real trip (like a little vacation), while other times it was more of a day trip or special activity. The mystery trip that most stands out to me was going to see the Ice Capades. That got this girl dreaming and shortly after I asked for ice skating lessons for my birthday! ;)

The last mystery trip we took our boys on was to a trampoline park and pizza. So, they weren't guessing we were heading across the border to Whistler, B.C.!

The drive up was beautiful! We were surrounded by the mountains and sea. The rivers in Whistler are a milky turquoise color due to meltwater from glacial ice.

Once we arrived, we enjoyed that everything was within walking distance. 

Here's my man and our three little men walking through Whistler village. The architecture is charming, it's clean, and there are lots of great shops and restaurants!

This was the view from our hotel window! 

It didn't take us long to find our way down to the pool...

Just behind our hotel, at the base of the mountain, were lots of activities for kids. It was fun to watch our boys do the bungee trampoline. Our middle son nailed the flip, which we found was harder than it looked!

And the luge-style sled slide! I rode with our youngest (who tends to throw caution to the wind). I was screaming while he was laughing in delight! He had control of the brakes and opted not to use them much. It was a blast and a fun memory for sure.

Our oldest son, coming down the slide, also enjoyed a little skateboarding on this trip. He's dreaming of mountain biking next time... There are lots of courses with all kinds of crazy jumps!

The farmer's market was going on when we arrived. 

We dined on wood-fired pizza and organic fruit smoothies.

It was a treat to stay at The Fairmont Chateau Whistler.

Need a centerpiece idea? :)

This may be more doable... 

This picture reminds me of the freedom and adventure that summer brings!

As school and routine beckon us to return - I'm so grateful for this - our last-ditch effort to run away and squeeze the last drop out of summer and 24-7 togetherness! 

Now, back at home, if I'm honest, I'll admit that we've begun tripping over each other a bit. We've got some less than desirable end-of-summer "habits" and irritations forming. It's probably time. Structure is not a bad thing, I remind myself. Having at least a couple of rooms in the house picked up does sound dreamy.

But you guys. I miss these guys already. Tidiness is overrated.

I want to be back in that hotel room with my people, sharing pillows and watching that monkey movie... Knowing we'll be heading down to the pool in the morning.

Be kind to yourselves and all the mamas you pass by. 
We are all conflicted in late August...

Xo

Simple Summer Country Joys...

Do you ever crave slowing down the clock and enjoying some simple country living? Maybe with loved ones or just some time alone with your thoughts?

May I suggest blueberry picking? 

Our boys and I headed out to a local farm. (Don't you love this sign? ;)

Tin buckets in-hand...

For one of the few times this summer, the boys got quiet ;) 
and lost themselves in the task of picking. 

There was a peacefulness of being out in that blueberry farm with one activity to focus on. Even our boys noticed with one of them saying, "I love it out here." 

We picked about 4 pounds of blueberries. We could have picked more, but football camp was calling to our oldest. ;) 

We left the farm with our little treasures, along with a sweet summer memory.

The short drive home wasn't too bad either...

Happy summer day!

Xo

Our Little Farmstead Vegetable Garden

 We're getting a serious dose of sunshine, and our garden is loving it! 

Everything is starting to grow fast now...

This is only our second summer here, so we still have much to learn about gardening. We planted a lot of the same vegetables we did last year with a couple of new additions. We added a few pumpkins and watermelon.

We are also trying this green bean teepee... 

Our garden gate is covered in vines once again.

Our oldest son, Hudson, planting greens in his garden bed. (We were grateful there were already three garden beds when we moved in. One for each of the boys!)

Since moving in, my husband has wanted to put a flag up. He installed this one from our side porch, facing the garden. We love watching it wave gently in the summer breeze over our little garden...

Our middle son, Noah, weeding beneath his green bean teepee...

Our youngest, Lincoln, planting corn.

Look how it's grown!

Happy July from our garden to yours! ;)

Xo

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Farmhouse Kitchen (Simple Solutions)

A lot of living happens here, in this kitchen. 

With three growing boys, it seems someone is always hungry!

Especially during these summer days, when the kids are home from school and spending lots of time being active outdoors...they can really work up an appetite.

Some days, I'll just finish washing the breakfast dishes when someone begins asking, "Did we have lunch yet?" (Help me Rhonda.) 

I've found a few easy solutions that have made every day

 living just a little smoother...

I recently added this shallow basket with silverware and napkins on the counter. Our boys are still getting used to it and sometimes ask, "Mom, could you get me a fork?" I smile to myself as I answer, "It's right there, honey..." 

I'll admit, I'm not the most organized person. So yes, this little remedy brings me satisfaction as I consider the time and energy it has saved. (Small victories.)

Another challenge in our kitchen had been the higher-than-usual cabinets. It was hard for our youngest two boys to get a glass to drink from - - they would climb onto the counter - - dirty little summer feet and all.

I had brought in the white step stool (below) several months ago. It works well when our youngest helps me bake or is "working" at the counter. 

However, it is apparently too labor intensive to move across the kitchen when one is teetering on the verge of dehydration.

So, we purchased this affordable ($14.99) wire glass drying rack from World Market. 

Now, the glasses are in easy reach for the thirsty kiddos.

(Thanks to my sister for the idea!)

Do you have any time-saving or organizational tips for the kitchen? I'm all ears...

So glad you stopped by today!

Xo

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