The final product: a delicious veggie burrito.
We found a large raccoon today on our morning walk!
We decided to keep him. He will live out in the pasture.
It was a long walk so finally we broke down and ate the burrito.
Have a safe Halloween!
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Happy Halloween from a Raccoon and Refried Beans!
Pearl is one happy side of refried beans!
The final product: a delicious veggie burrito.
We found a large raccoon today on our morning walk!
We decided to keep him. He will live out in the pasture.
It was a long walk so finally we broke down and ate the burrito.
Have a safe Halloween!
The final product: a delicious veggie burrito.
We found a large raccoon today on our morning walk!
We decided to keep him. He will live out in the pasture.
It was a long walk so finally we broke down and ate the burrito.
Have a safe Halloween!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Stressing Out
I have realized over the past nine weeks of being at home that my brain craves a little bit of stress. At work I am used to having my heart pound daily and breaking out in a cold sweat at least once a week. "Oh my gosh, I still have seven patients to see and it is four o'clock." Or, "Is this biopsy site going to stop bleeding? Please God, make it stop!"
My heart rate at home has barely topped 100 on my most stressful day. To keep myself stimulated, I intentionally try to keep some stress alive in my life. On snack day I decided to make tuna boat sandwiches with little cheese sails for Oliver's preschool. I regretted my decision at 11 o'clock the night before school when the little cheese sails kept splitting under the pressure of the toothpicks and Pearl wanted to be bounced around the house. But that morning as I saw my final creation on the counter in Oliver's classroom, I felt a sense of victory (but unfortunately forgot to take a picture).
Another project I have been working on is a paper mache moon. Oliver finally moved out of the family bed and into his big boy bed. Chimpanzees move their kids out of the nest at the age of four to make room for a new baby, so we followed that wisdom. Glenn and Oliver painted his new room and added glow in the dark stars on the ceiling. It was missing a moon and I thought, "How hard can it be to make one?" Ten hours of work later and we have the ugliest glow in the dark moon you have ever seen.
My latest hobby? Embossing! I'm planning a Mother Blessing (a ceremony to celebrate a new mother) for a pregnant friend. A sale at Michaels convinced me I should buy an embossing kit and hand emboss the invitations. I'm so pleased I did because embossing is so much fun! I keep trying to think of things to emboss (Hmm, that piece of paper would look so much nicer with a gold butterfly on it). It is just so satisfying watching the powder heat up and melt into something pretty.
Oh, I also thought maybe we should start TRYING to sell lip balm, why not? I opened our etsy shop up again and started a Facebook page. Check it out here:
The Beneficial Bee
If only this little girl were more fussy or difficult, I could stop giving myself projects.
And don't worry, my house is a mess and the laundry's not done-so really I'm not stressing myself out too much. Happy Halloween!
My heart rate at home has barely topped 100 on my most stressful day. To keep myself stimulated, I intentionally try to keep some stress alive in my life. On snack day I decided to make tuna boat sandwiches with little cheese sails for Oliver's preschool. I regretted my decision at 11 o'clock the night before school when the little cheese sails kept splitting under the pressure of the toothpicks and Pearl wanted to be bounced around the house. But that morning as I saw my final creation on the counter in Oliver's classroom, I felt a sense of victory (but unfortunately forgot to take a picture).
Another project I have been working on is a paper mache moon. Oliver finally moved out of the family bed and into his big boy bed. Chimpanzees move their kids out of the nest at the age of four to make room for a new baby, so we followed that wisdom. Glenn and Oliver painted his new room and added glow in the dark stars on the ceiling. It was missing a moon and I thought, "How hard can it be to make one?" Ten hours of work later and we have the ugliest glow in the dark moon you have ever seen.
My latest hobby? Embossing! I'm planning a Mother Blessing (a ceremony to celebrate a new mother) for a pregnant friend. A sale at Michaels convinced me I should buy an embossing kit and hand emboss the invitations. I'm so pleased I did because embossing is so much fun! I keep trying to think of things to emboss (Hmm, that piece of paper would look so much nicer with a gold butterfly on it). It is just so satisfying watching the powder heat up and melt into something pretty.
Oh, I also thought maybe we should start TRYING to sell lip balm, why not? I opened our etsy shop up again and started a Facebook page. Check it out here:
The Beneficial Bee
If only this little girl were more fussy or difficult, I could stop giving myself projects.
And don't worry, my house is a mess and the laundry's not done-so really I'm not stressing myself out too much. Happy Halloween!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
You Give Me Fever
Once a week or so we put Banjo and Pumpkin in with the animals in the front pasture. This is our lazy way of giving everyone some extra exercise. Banjo and Pumpkin love getting to spend some time with the girls. After humping Pumpkin all week (and being humped by Pumpkin-it's only fair), Banjo is eager to get his hooves on members of his own species.
When Pumpkin and Banjo are initially released into the pasture, there are always a few minutes of pure chaos. The alpacas do not like Pumpkin and make effort to stomp him to death (don't worry about Pumpkin, he loves it). Lotta spends her time trying to get between the alpacas and Pumpkin. Once the stomping fest is over, Lotta and Pumpkin wrestle until they drop.
Banjo could care less about all of the chasing and stomping. He has one thing on his mind-Leche. Leche is apparently very "hot" as far as goats go. She is even sexier from the back side as far as I can gather from Banjo's behavior. Poor Leche has to be on her toes to resist Banjo's advances.
She escaped! I'll be frank-I put in this action shot because I think Banjos swinging sac is funny (sorry).
Here Leche is using Glenn (and Pearl) as a human shield.
Finally, Banjo got so fed up with trying to catch Leche he tried to make it with Oliver. Oliver politely declined the offer and went on playing with his stick.
I'll end this post with a picture of our new rooster. He is gorgeous and needs a name! We welcome suggestions. Photo by Glenn.
Oh, and also a picture of Pearl. I can't leave her out!
When Pumpkin and Banjo are initially released into the pasture, there are always a few minutes of pure chaos. The alpacas do not like Pumpkin and make effort to stomp him to death (don't worry about Pumpkin, he loves it). Lotta spends her time trying to get between the alpacas and Pumpkin. Once the stomping fest is over, Lotta and Pumpkin wrestle until they drop.
Banjo could care less about all of the chasing and stomping. He has one thing on his mind-Leche. Leche is apparently very "hot" as far as goats go. She is even sexier from the back side as far as I can gather from Banjo's behavior. Poor Leche has to be on her toes to resist Banjo's advances.
She escaped! I'll be frank-I put in this action shot because I think Banjos swinging sac is funny (sorry).
Here Leche is using Glenn (and Pearl) as a human shield.
Finally, Banjo got so fed up with trying to catch Leche he tried to make it with Oliver. Oliver politely declined the offer and went on playing with his stick.
I'll end this post with a picture of our new rooster. He is gorgeous and needs a name! We welcome suggestions. Photo by Glenn.
Oh, and also a picture of Pearl. I can't leave her out!
Friday, September 24, 2010
The Skinny on the Guineas
Glenn and I moved the guinea fowl over to their new roost several weeks ago. We let the guineas get used to their new home, then decided it was time to let them see the world. Teaching the guineas how to leave the roost and fly back in the evening has been a patience-testing experiment.
First, we had to get the guineas to leave the roost. Glenn opened the doors and expected them to take flight right away. The first day, only two guineas ventured outside to the perch, then quickly retreated. Oliver decided to give them a lesson about the joy of flying. The guineas were not impressed and stayed inside.
On day two, all of the guineas finally decided to go outside and check out the view. We waited quietly under a tree until finally, all at once, they took to flight. I was happy I had the camera ready to capture their first moments in the air.
Once the guineas were out, the next big challenge was figuring out how to get them back into the roost. Glenn and Oliver spent many hours trying to find the easiest way to get the guineas back inside. In the picture below, Glenn and Oliver have herded the guineas under the roost and are contemplating their next move. The local wild turkeys stopped by to watch the action.
Glenn thought trapping them with a bird net and putting them back one by one would be a good idea. Oliver and Glenn expertly herded the birds into the net. Oliver's bird herding skills are truly remarkable (if only school tested him on THAT ability rather than his ability to pick out the letter "P").
Glenn decided herding the guineas into nets was too stressful for the birds, so he has tried many other methods over the past three weeks. On various evenings you could find Glenn and Grammy up in the hills with headlamps, Glenn and Oliver patiently sitting under the roost, or me and Pearl, covered in baby poop, yelling at the guineas to just fly inside already! One day we even had Glenn, Grammy, Pop and three boys in capes all trying to help the guineas get back to the roost.
The guinea fowl might be time consuming, but they are definitely intriguing creatures. Once they learn how to roost on their own, I'm sure we will feel better about all the hours we have spent outside with them. Pearl found them so interesting she had to pop her head out of the Moby to watch as I took pictures. Lotta also finds them fascinating. We won't tell her how delicious we heard they are.
First, we had to get the guineas to leave the roost. Glenn opened the doors and expected them to take flight right away. The first day, only two guineas ventured outside to the perch, then quickly retreated. Oliver decided to give them a lesson about the joy of flying. The guineas were not impressed and stayed inside.
On day two, all of the guineas finally decided to go outside and check out the view. We waited quietly under a tree until finally, all at once, they took to flight. I was happy I had the camera ready to capture their first moments in the air.
Once the guineas were out, the next big challenge was figuring out how to get them back into the roost. Glenn and Oliver spent many hours trying to find the easiest way to get the guineas back inside. In the picture below, Glenn and Oliver have herded the guineas under the roost and are contemplating their next move. The local wild turkeys stopped by to watch the action.
Glenn thought trapping them with a bird net and putting them back one by one would be a good idea. Oliver and Glenn expertly herded the birds into the net. Oliver's bird herding skills are truly remarkable (if only school tested him on THAT ability rather than his ability to pick out the letter "P").
Glenn decided herding the guineas into nets was too stressful for the birds, so he has tried many other methods over the past three weeks. On various evenings you could find Glenn and Grammy up in the hills with headlamps, Glenn and Oliver patiently sitting under the roost, or me and Pearl, covered in baby poop, yelling at the guineas to just fly inside already! One day we even had Glenn, Grammy, Pop and three boys in capes all trying to help the guineas get back to the roost.
The guinea fowl might be time consuming, but they are definitely intriguing creatures. Once they learn how to roost on their own, I'm sure we will feel better about all the hours we have spent outside with them. Pearl found them so interesting she had to pop her head out of the Moby to watch as I took pictures. Lotta also finds them fascinating. We won't tell her how delicious we heard they are.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Sleep, Eat, Poop, Package!
Holding a newborn for hours on end every day is blissful. And just slightly boring. The endless cycle of sleep, eat, poop makes the day go by slowly (which is good because I want to soak up every moment).
Oliver is used to a more exciting way of life and has been bouncing off the walls with energy. If only we had cable, just for a couple of months! Our daily thrill includes feeding the animals in the pasture. We introduced the baby to all of the animals and everyone seems happy with her or at the very least wants to lick her.
(Thanks Erin for Pearl's lovely white dress! We should probably keep it out of the pasture.)
What was the highlight of our day today? A package arrived from our friend Doris (and Gizzy) at Crocheting in Georgia! Doris makes great crocheted items. Check out her blog to see some of her amazing work. She made a beautiful blanket for Pearl, hats for the boys and a cute bee kitchen scrubbie for me (although it is too nice to get wet or dirty!). She even sent a funny onsie that sums up my life right now, " Loading Diaper, Please Wait...".
Photo credit: Oliver
Thanks Doris! We love everything you sent.
As an added treat, we ran into this baby snake when we went outside to take pictures! Can anyone (Kate?) tell me what kind of snake this is?
Oliver is used to a more exciting way of life and has been bouncing off the walls with energy. If only we had cable, just for a couple of months! Our daily thrill includes feeding the animals in the pasture. We introduced the baby to all of the animals and everyone seems happy with her or at the very least wants to lick her.
(Thanks Erin for Pearl's lovely white dress! We should probably keep it out of the pasture.)
What was the highlight of our day today? A package arrived from our friend Doris (and Gizzy) at Crocheting in Georgia! Doris makes great crocheted items. Check out her blog to see some of her amazing work. She made a beautiful blanket for Pearl, hats for the boys and a cute bee kitchen scrubbie for me (although it is too nice to get wet or dirty!). She even sent a funny onsie that sums up my life right now, " Loading Diaper, Please Wait...".
Photo credit: Oliver
Thanks Doris! We love everything you sent.
As an added treat, we ran into this baby snake when we went outside to take pictures! Can anyone (Kate?) tell me what kind of snake this is?
Friday, September 10, 2010
Our Smelly Visitor
Even "experienced" parents learn new lessons all the time. What did I learn today? Never attempt to sneak up on a wild animal to take a photograph of it while holding your nine day old daughter.
Pearl and I were just settling down to read a book when I heard a funny scratching sound in the laundry room. Last night I heard the same sounds coming from the laundry room and managed to get a glimpse of a black and white tail escaping through the cat door. I needed proof that this was not just a large cat breaking into our house. I grabbed the camera, ever so quietly walked toward the laundry room, aimed into the darkness and took a picture.
This scared the "big cat" and he promptly lifted his tail as if to spray (I could see this with my flash as I was attempting to take a second picture-but wimped out instead). Pearl and I ducked around the corner and the skunk ran out the cat door.
I wanted to see if he was brazen enough to come back inside, so we waited patiently to see what would happen next. Sure enough, the skunk popped his head back through to check things out. I yelled at him to leave while his bum was still safely outside. Now our skunk friend is attempting to break down the barricade I have rigged in front of the cat door. Well, at least we have had a little excitement on this quiet Friday evening!
Here are a couple of pictures of Pearl while I am at it just to satisfy grandparental needs:
Pearl and I were just settling down to read a book when I heard a funny scratching sound in the laundry room. Last night I heard the same sounds coming from the laundry room and managed to get a glimpse of a black and white tail escaping through the cat door. I needed proof that this was not just a large cat breaking into our house. I grabbed the camera, ever so quietly walked toward the laundry room, aimed into the darkness and took a picture.
This scared the "big cat" and he promptly lifted his tail as if to spray (I could see this with my flash as I was attempting to take a second picture-but wimped out instead). Pearl and I ducked around the corner and the skunk ran out the cat door.
I wanted to see if he was brazen enough to come back inside, so we waited patiently to see what would happen next. Sure enough, the skunk popped his head back through to check things out. I yelled at him to leave while his bum was still safely outside. Now our skunk friend is attempting to break down the barricade I have rigged in front of the cat door. Well, at least we have had a little excitement on this quiet Friday evening!
Here are a couple of pictures of Pearl while I am at it just to satisfy grandparental needs:
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