Trinity & My Three Sons...sounds Italian doesn't it?

Trinity, Turner, Jacob hangin' out with baby-Caden

Caden crawling at 7 months in his fat cloth diaper :)

Jacob checking out the homeschool shelf

Turner and Caden having an affectionate moment for the camera.

Jacob admiring our new circus animals.

Our Berners

We had a new addition to our family this summer.

Meet Kayleigh & Sabra, our Bernese Mt. Dogs.

They are sisters, and the only way that we can tell them apart

is by putting different color collars on them.

They are the sweetest dog you could ever

know. We picked them up after a 3 1/2 hour journey to

Montgomery Center, Vermont. It was a good 2 weeks by the time we

had made the decision to get them, and we are so glad that we did.

We wrestled with the idea of Border Collies, because we like their (adult)

disposition. After researching them online and finding a very

informative border collie rescue's site, we decided that their high

energy would not be suitable in a home with 4 children and a lot of other

things going on...we looked at other breeds too, but decided that the

Berners calm, lazy, and large disposition was perfect for our family.

Who doesn't need a calming, lazy presence in their fast-paced lives, these days?

I am now totally obsessed with my dogs, and even find myself juicing my

watermelon rinds for them and mixing it into their gucci kibble chow.

My next goal is to be making organic/raw doggy treats for them for training treats.

I hope it leads to a long and healthy life for my girls.

so...if ever there was a great family dog to have, this is the one.

Male or Female they live up to their name....the gentle giants.

For more information on the Bernese Mt. Dog visit:
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/bernesemountain.htm

http://www.bmdca.org/

Summer Shine Beauty

I found a purpose for our grape vine wreath. It looks so quaint

and simply beautiful on our new gate! I'm especially enjoying

the fruits of our labor this year every time I look upon our perennial

gardens in the front yard. It took three years to make such a lovely garden.

I can only imagine what it would look like in another three years with

time & attention.

Jammin' Out at The Community Baa

This year we spent a lot of time in our local berry patches.

Not only did we support local farmers & local produce, but

we really enjoyed the intense flavor of honest to goodness

berries & cherries, and the jam that came from them!

It is our first year making jam, and man it was good.

We bought our own waterbath canner and went straight

to work, and it was well worth the time and energy.

You cannot buy that taste from the store shelves!

http://www.themermaidsbraid.etsy.com/

Check out our jam for sale at our etsy shop!

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=30001678

The Community Baa's Bath Baambs

Intricately Made

I found these vintage animals at www.recycledwares.etsy.com.

I just love the way that they look on my sideboard!

Up In Smoke

This project was such a pleasure to prepare, and such a disaster in the end!

My children & I peeled our crayons and divided them into aluminum trays

so that we could melt the wax and then pour the melted crayon wax into molds to

form into fresh new crayons...well....it started out with good intentions, but ended

up in flames in my oven!

A word to the wise (that learn from others mistakes)...never,

I repeat

NEVER

set your oven to the broil setting to speed up crayon melting...

it will ignite the wax and blast it all over the inside of your oven.

I had to use the fire extinguisher to put that blaze out.

Luckily it worked, because our cable phone was not working at the time.

I had to evacuate the kids to the porch until the black smoke floated out the

windows, and the fire alarms were singing while I took my waxy mess out of my

blue oven.

What a lesson in safety that was....

maybe next time....

Art Recycled

Today my children practiced our family ritual of recycling through art!

We used egg cartons, the backside of used paper, glitter glue, and markers.

The boys were quite proud of their creation!

Fun Food at Snacktime

My children & I loved creating this fun finger food!

~1/2 loaf specialty bread sliced into pieces for (turtles legs)

~1/2 avacado (turtle shell)

~1 beautiful berry (turtle head)

This snack idea came from our little acorn learning program. If you are looking for a great homeschool/unschooly type preschool/K program, you may love Little Acorn Learning. http://www.littleacornlearning.com/ You can purchase their lesson plans/activites by the month. They also have "seasonal childcare menus" available with meal plans that include the grain color of the day and healthy ingredient choices for each meal & snack.

Enjoy!

Celebrate a Handmade Revolution

There is nothing more beautiful than a handmade toy, piece of clothing, homemade cupcake, or piece of furniture. The creator puts their own special twist into what they are doing, and makes it uniquely their own.

I just finished designing a pattern for a skirt that my daughter Trinity will wear. I can't wait to show you a picture, because I am so proud of the way it turned out.

Making something yourself to give to another is the ideal expression of love. You are putting yourself 100% into a project, and then just simply giving it away. That is selflesness, isn't it. I have been very inspired by the last issue of Mothering magazine. Contained in its pages are 5 daring women, that choose a lifestyle of making everything (or close to everything) for their home/family, by hand. I highly recommend reading that issue, and also checking out some of these women on their blogs or websites.

For my sons birthday, I have already purchased his gifts from http://www.etsy.com/. He will be getting some hand-dyed waldorf silks http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_2&listing_id=26486669, a naturally dyed silk ribbons streamer stick (http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vt_related_1&listing_id=29669028) ...both from http://www.syrendell.etsy.com/. The family that offers these gems is the sweetest family, and recieve my top notch rating for customer service. I would gladly purchase from them any day of the week, over going to Target or some other box store.

Turner will also recieve 2 nirdles from http://www.animalquackers.etsy.com/. This is the description of the nirdle: "The Nirdle is an adorable little creature. He is a strict vegetarian, and is very social! This medium sized red Nirdle is made with much care from wool blend felt and embroidery floss, then he is stuffed DENSELY with polyfiberfill. He would love to come see your house, he loves children of all ages, and is a wonderful decoration or toy! " See a picture of him @ http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction.php?transaction_id=18712991. This shop is selling out all inventory at a great price with free shipping. Get gifts while the getting is good!!

Another wonderful handmade inspiration is http://www.smallmagazine.net/issue.asp. Small magazine features original artwork, clothing & toy designs for children. Many of the featured artists also have etsy shops.

If you would like to check out my shop, where everything is handmade by my husband or I, go to: http://www.themermaidsbraid.etsy.com/.

Now go make something!!

God's Blessings

My camera is down, so I wasn't able to capture the sunny-ness of todays splendor...it was so inspiring to be outside hanging clothes on the line, sprinkling chicken scratch out to the girls, and spreading rotten hay on my perennial flower beds.

I think of the many things that God has given us to sustain this silly little farm, and it inspires me. There is no way that we could do this all by ourselves, without the help of the Creator. We have set a plan before ourselves, and He picked us up and carried us down the path.