Bee Appreciation

Today we attended Bee Appreciation Day at Tugwell Creek Meadery and Honey Farm. Aside from the fact that, as a gardener, I really do have a deep appreciation for bees, I had to attend this event just for the opportunity to get some much needed info on beekeeping.
Yes, I'm getting honeybees. The process has been slow. I've been doing lots of reading, looking up local beekeeping groups, tracking down supplies and prepping my property for hives. The opportunity to visit Tugwell and talk to local beekeepers could not be missed. One can gain some very valuable information from simply talking to a veteran beekeeper for 20 minutes. They also had a observational hive on display which allowed me a chance to practice my queen spotting skills. Turns out those skills are almost non-existent for me, it's going to take a lot of time and patience to learn how to spot my queen.
Tugwell Creek is a beautiful farm about an hour away from where we live. The whole farm is literally buzzing. The property has a lovely native plants habitat for the bees, as well as a garden with fruit trees, berries, vegetables and flowers. We took the self-guided tour enjoying the chickens, geese, sheep and goats that also call Tugwell Creek home. Jon enjoyed a mead tasting and I came home with a jar of local honey and some honey truffles (they are simply heavenly). Truly, this lovely day could not have happened without the hard work for the honeybee.

Bloom

And so my plan to put aside the knitting in favor of sewing didn't go so well. I find late at night, when the baby is sleeping, I just want the peace and calm of knitting. It took me a while to decide on a project but when I saw this dress I knew April needed one.
I followed Waldorf Mama's notes (my notes are here) and combined the Bloom dress with the Rainbow dress. I used a Mirasol yarn that just made me think of summer at the beach. The colorway was perfect. I chose the fan and feather hem because I thought it looked like waves which was a lovely finishing touch for this dress.
You also have to love knitting projects that use all the yarn. I bought 3 skeins of Mirasol Hacho and used all but one yard of the yarn!

Playing With Horses Quilt

This weekend I made this adorable wholecloth quilt for April. It fits perfectly in her crib. I've only really made about 5 quilts in my whole life (including this one and this one) but I think this is among my favorites. I love the simplicity and the girly feel without being pink and purple.
I used Heather Ross's Girl Playing with Horses fabric in peach and brown for the main fabric and used some orange Far Far away fabric for the binding. I decided to do hand sewn binding for this quilt. I've done it before and I think it gives the quilt a much more personal touch.
I'm not sure how much use this quilt will get through the summer but for right now we've been having colder nights so the weight of it is perfect. I almost wish I made it bigger so we could use it for years and years to come. Bigger quilts need bigger sewing spaces though. Someday I guess.

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Inspired by SouleMama

Rhubarb from the Garden

I almost forgot I had rhubarb in my garden. It was buried under some dirt which was screened last fall. It was buried all winter. Finally in February, as I began preparing for the vegetable garden, I found it. I quickly uncovered it and surprisingly, it grew. It was actually quiet enormous when I went out to collect the first harvest of the year yesterday.
Rhubarb is not really a favorite around here, but one year at the Organic Islands Festival I tried rhubarb cordial with lavender water. It was delicious. Since then I've been buying my cordial locally. It seems so silly now since I have rhubarb in my yard, and cordial is not a challenging recipe. So I made cordial (2 cups chopped rhubarb, 2 cups water, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup honey: boil for 15 minutes, strain and chill). To me, rhubarb cordial is best served over ice with sparkling water. So refreshing, a perfect spring drink! I have more rhubarb out in the garden that needs a few more weeks. I think next time I will have to make these bars, they look divine!