Fall is in the Air

We've been busy... this is what we've been up too ;) As you can see... it's really important stuff ;)

2 Amazing Little Girls + 1000's of Leaves + 1 Beautiful Autumn Day = 1 Happy Momma ;)

Abenaqui Alpacas

From our recent trip to Maine-

Going to my Big Sister's farm is always a treat.

The girls have a blast. And Kevin and I dream of life on a farm.

Auntie Karrie & Lily feeding the Alpacas

Hanging out by the chicken coop.They were all recently sheared. I wish we were around to help out. That would have been a lot of fun!

Uncle Steven (Farmer Steve) Giving some love to their Herding Dog, Katie. She does a great job and deserves a good scratching of the ears ;) The Girls, playing with Colin Their rescued Greyhound.

Daddy and Lily, checking out the cupola of the new barn.

Hiking up to the pig pens, with two tired munchkins.

I can't wait to move closer to home someday ;)

Grafting

Kevin has been exprimenting with tree grafting.

We had planted 9 fruit trees last spring, only to have them all eaten by bunnies, except for 1 plum tree, show above, that wasn't even touched. We wraped all of them, but the snow got so high this past winter, that the little Bunnies could reach above the guard, and in some cases they chewed all the branches clean off the trees. We were so sad.
Well a few weekends ago, We had Pastor "J" and his wife "L" over for dinner, to thank them for all the Hand Me Down Flowers they had given us. Since he is quite the experienced gardener, we had him take a look @ the damage. The rascaly rabbits had done quite a number on the trees, so he suggested cutting them way back and then grafting healthy brances onto the root stalk. Pastor "J" showed Kevin how to do it and also suggested he get some grafting wax. It's certainly worth a shot, and it was a great way to teach "The Girls" about Romans 11: 17-24

I will post pictures of how they all turned out soon. I kept meaning to write about this, but something always comes up, so I figured I might as well post it now, and put the pictures up when I get a chance.

The lone Survivor. Our Precious Plum Tree. I wonder why they didn't eat this one?

In the background, you can see where Grampa Gary rototilled around the fence, so I could plant yet another garden. What a guy!

There are also some great videos on grafting. Check em out on You Tube. You can learn how to do just about anything.

Shelves for Seedlings

The seedlings we started made some more progress. I'm so psyched! They are really coming along. A tad bit leggy but that is to be expected considering we are not using lights. We are using natural light. Not for any crunchy reason (though I like crunchy reasoning) But simply because lights mean more money, and we just can't afford them right now. So we keep rotating them so they all get their fair share of the rays. Grampa gave us these great shelves that collapse for easy storage when you are done :) And they are light enough that I can move them really easily. Now my counter tops are free again. For a while there I was really missing clean counter tops with all the trays taking up space. I had no place to work. I kept telling myself it would all be worth it this summer when I had fresh flowers to pick for my table. But yet again, Grampa saves the day! Yay! I have my kitchen back and I even have enough room on those shelves for more trays. :) Oh happy happy day! Praise God, and Thank you Grampa!

Now I need to start these. Some Vegies, Herbs & more Flowers ;) So fun. The girls love planting them & watching them grow. And so do I, plus I like saving money. I feel like a little kid. This is awesome!

Seedlings

Yay Spring! I can't wait till it officially arrives. I started some seeds a little while ago with the girls. They had fun helping mommy. And the little sprouts are coming along quite nicely. I am so excited we finally have a camera, so I can post the progress. We will be starting some more this weekend. So far we have five trays containing: Lavender, Nasturtiums, Sunflowers, Larkspur, Bachelor buttons, & Sweat peas. Amazing how fast they grow, and if I forget to rotate them they all lean toward the window. :) I love to watch seeds grow. God is so incredible.

The pictures above are from yesterday. And the ones below are from today. You can tell because yesterday there was no fruit in my fruit bowl :) We go through it pretty fast in this house.



I was trying to get a shot of the water coming out of my spritzer. I found it @ a yard sale last summer. I love it. So happy it actually works.

The Apple Farm

Today was such a beautiful day. So the girls and I met up with my good friend "M" and Her daughter "T" @ the park. Then the girls and I headed over to the Apple Farm up the road for some cider donuts and to take a Gander @ the Goats.Hey you want a sip?Eden, chowing on a cider donut.