Isla's New Dippin Bowl

Here's a little dipping bowl for babies.  We are starting with cheerios...maybe some graham crackers with fruit puree?

AcornSquashTurnipGreens Apple Sauce w/ Cinnamon

Cook squash in the oven.   Scrape cooked squash out of skin and put in a pan with simmering apples and turnip greens.  Mix in a few scoops of formula and sprinkle cinnamon.  Puree and freeze.

ChickenBRiceSweetPotato Puree with Cumin

Steamed chicken, and sweet potato with rice cooking below.  Added a dash of cumin and formula and pureed.

CarrotPea, VenisonSpinachQuinoa and Blueberry Apple Purees

Packing for Art Show

Wondering what life will be like next year when Isla is moving around......I'm thankful she let me tag all my pieces. Thanks Aunt Abby for your help! This weekend we are off to the Artful Gathering by Friends On Purpose!

Baked Kale CHIps

How to make Kale Chips:

HArvest a big bunch of Kale from the garden.
Wash it and dry it.
Line a cake pan with parchment paper.
Heat of to 350.
Drizzle Kale with Olive Oil, sprinkle spices and kosher salt.
Bake 15 minutes or so....

Bet you can't eat just one!!!

Super Swimming Baby

Is swimming a natural instinct for humans...will a baby learn how to swim from experience? So far in her three months of life Isla has swam in Lake Huron, Van Ettan Lake, the Black River, the Pigeon River, and the AuSable River...I figure we live on the island...she needs to be comfortable around water... right?

Black River Baby

When should a baby learn to swim?  When can a baby swim?  Are there bacteria and bugs in lakes and rivers that are harmful to babies...All questions I ask as I introduce Isla water and nature all around us.

Seed Garden is Growing!

We are happy with the results of our seeds vegetable garden.  We planted Kale, Peas, Beets, Beans, Spinach, Lettuce, Nasturtium, Cilantro, Basil, Broccoli, Carrots, Cucumbers, Dill, and Bunch of Squashes.   The seeds we planted straight in the ground are doing better than the seeds we started earlier under the grow lights...hmm.

How to stake tomatoes?

I am looking for a good way to stake tomatoes.  Every year I create a chaotic web of saved string and sticks to hold up the tomatoes.  I have never had to great of a crop but things are looking better this year...Hopefully my system works for our produce.... 

Butterflies FlutterBy

Homemade Cleaners

After a long hot weekend of friends and family it is time to clean house.  Check out this site to make some homemade cleaners...the number one ingredient in this list is not mentioned...ELBOW GREASE!
http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/homemadehouseholdcleaners.htm

What I didn't know about breastfeeding...

Well all I really knew is that was how I was going to feed my baby.  What I didn't know is how many directions milk would shoot out with the velocity of a super soaker all over my baby's face...and yet it is still the most relaxing and rewarding activity I have ever engaged in...

Love my Moby!

I love my MOBY wrap.  It has so many ways I can hold Isla and she is so comfortable.  She always goes right to sleep...

6 day old gardener

What a worker...for 6 days old, Isla is hanging...literally in the moby wrap, hanging out in the pea patch tilling up weeds.

Moose on the Loose!

hmmmmmmm!  I wonder what kind of stories Isla is going imagine living on an island with a taxidermy studio...The inside of the mounts are pretty creepy looking like furless, white skinned, body less animals, hanging on the wall...then there's collection of small skulls in corner, mostly beaver and squirrels, I think...."Without bodies these creatures can't swim off the island," thinks Isla, "Maybe that's why they drink so much beer?"

Harvested Peas!

Fresh Peas for father's day dinner...yum! Paul caught nine trout to grill and we had a nice simple evening...

Happy Father's Day!

AWWWHHH...Dads love their little girls.

Om Baby Rider

We love how Isla prepares for her boat to car ride and then ride into town...Om baby Om...

Do bees like breastmilk?

Why do I think bees like breastmilk?  Finally getting out to weed the peas...after looking at them and needing to get to them for a week or so...I was happy.  Weeding crab grass out of peas is not fun...it's actually a fairly delicate task...but it leads to training peas up the trellises...which would be fun for my kids at school...we should grow peas next year.  Finally the sun was hot and the sky was blue, Isla was sleeping and I was able to concentrate of weeding.  The birds were chirping like crazy and the bees were buzzing all over the purple Salvia and Sage blossoms...when all the sudden a bunch of geese honked, flying overhead and all the sudden I felt my milk filling up, and all the sudden the wind blue, and all the sudden I looked down and all the sudden I had to wet circles the size of softballs on my shirt...and all the sudden a bee buzzed to me and hovered around me until my chores were done.