Celebrating clotheslines

Eli likes his fingers

Maetia calls this blowing bubbles

Michael putting up my clothesline

My clothesline is accessible from inside the porch. There is a little window that opens and the line comes up on a pulley system. The only drawback is the little roof to the basement that the clothes have to swing/drag over before getting into the sun.

A tire swing we are borrowing from friends brings enjoyment for all of us.

Mostly I am posting because we check our friends blogs all the time and are so happy when there is a new post so I figured if you are like us, you would appreciate it. I believe I celebrated last year at about this time when we got a clothesline at the cottage. Well, Michael just put up one at our new house,Horray!! I can't get over the good feeling I get when I take my clean, sun bleached diapers off the line. Truly satisfying.
Eli is growing well and now weighs 15lbs. He is so happy and ticklish. I have been to the lactation consultant who gave me some tips for nursing that seem to be improving his reflux and breathing difficulties. Michael and I are able to eat supper together with Maetia which we could never do when she was a baby.(Because of the screaming) It is really nice. When we pray to bless the food Maetia always pipes in with some things she is thankful for; mostly her swing, slide and Oma's house. Eli has figured out how to roll over which is causing startled wakeups during nap and night time; which is not so nice. But mostly we are finding joy in a routine and able to understand each different cry and noise.
I remember when Eli was one month old and we all went to the grocery store for the first time. Up until then, I just took one of the our kids, not both and not alone. So we went shopping and there was no screaming or poopy diapers. On the way out Michael was looking at the receipt and said, "Well that wasn't so bad". I said, "No, it really wasn't", smiling as I pushed the cart, thinking to myself, I could do this alone. Yes I can, horray for me. Then Michael looks at me and says "oh, I meant the price of all our groceries". Hmmm. I guess that is how a stay at home mom's brain is different from her working husband's. Now Eli is 3 months old and getting groceries is just fine and actually quite fun.
I have only 4 more weeks until my CSA deliveries start. Most things are coming along well except on the really heavy, clay land. That crop may not be ready in time. If not, I have an organic farmer friend who I can buy a bit of stuff from. The problem with my CSA customers is that they haven't really got the whole idea of supporting a farmer in good times and bad. They would like exactly (or more) $20 worth of veggies even if the weather hasn't co-operated or if there was an infestation of bugs. It is all about education I guess but it is frustrating when people sign up for something because it is 'trendy'.
Michael is working really hard on finishing our yard and soon we will have before and after shots of our 'leaky basement/septic overflow yard' and the 'hopefully not leaky or stinky yard'.

home and lawn

Well today Michael said he really felt like a home owner. He was finally able to cut the lawn. Finally because it has taken that long for it to get green and grow and also because we have been too busy to mow it. We had a 'discussion' the other night about lawns and the maintenance that should go into them. I personally feel that mowing lawns is a waste of gas, time, space (that could be used to grow food)and a little extra strain on the environment. Michael likes the look of a crisp, freshly cut lawn. He likes it to be even and tidy. I am also half dutch and I like tidy but a part of me fights the tidy side and wants wild/natural growth. I do not want to take the time to use the wipper snipper around each shrub on our property. We have a lot of shrubs, our land is rough and it has a wild edge to it with vines and trees growing all over the place. I personally like this and that is the main reason why I wanted to buy the house. Michael would like to 'tame' the yard a bit I think and we will have to agree that he gets the front yard and I get the back (or something like that). He has been working hard on the septic system, drainage so our basement won't leak again, tilling the land so I can plant things, pruning our raspberries and blackberries and improving the lives of our chickens; giving them lots of windows with fresh air. We haven't figured out a fox/weasel proof outdoor enclosure and until we do, they stay inside.


Here is Michael teaching Maetia how to fix the hitch on the back of the tractor

Here is our backyard. You can see the swingset, balance beam, slide, sandbox, bike with trailer, barn, pine trees, shrubs, wood pile, etc.....

Maetia's first tractor ride

Eli just looks up at the trees blowing in the wind and smiles. He stared at them for about 45 minutes today. Look how beautiful he is!

This is Maetia coming off her slide and jumping into the air right afterwards.
She just mastered the art of jumping with both feet at once and landing solidly on the ground.