From the Garden

 

It's been cool so far this season so things in the garden aren't what I was hoping for. My tomatoes, winter squash, cucumber, corn and beans are all really small. The squash and cucumber have already started to flower yet are hardly big enough to support fruit. I'm not sure what's going to come of my plants this year.
In other news, the lettuce, peas, potatoes and kale are all doing really well and we got a small harvest of broccoli this year.
Our yield from the raspberry bushes has doubled this year. We all love raspberries, even April (who has not been a berry fan in the past). She will often wander down the garden path and point at the raspberries and (usually) wait for me to pick her some. They are so good, hardly any have actually made it into the house.
My weed suppression ideas don't seem to be as effective as I was hoping. I've been trying to spend at least 30 minutes weeding every day but it's been raining lately and on the really windy days April doesn't really want to spend much time outside. Even if they don't seem to be keeping the weeds down, I do like having the boards in the garden; the make for great weeding spots in the garden since I know I'm not going to squish any veggies if I'm still on the board.
July is just around the corner and with it hopefully comes some heat and sunshine. I'm so hoping that a week or so of good sun and warm weather will cause my tomatoes and squash to go through a growth spurt. But overall I'm pleased with the state of my summer garden and I'm making preparations for the fall/winter garden.

On the Summer Solstice

To celebrate the changing of the seasons, the shortest night of the year, the summer solstice we made the most of the day.

: : excitedly donned short sleeves and sun hats
: : walked barefoot in the sand
: : splashed in the lake (it was actually warm and I was not prepared for our impromptu dip)
: : picked up some local strawberries, the first of the season, for jam
: : dried clothes on the line (lately it has been so windy it has been ripping the clothes from my line)
: : picked herbs and greens from my garden for dinner
: : turned on the barbeque and welcomed family for a solstice dinner 
: : had fiddleheads for the first time in years and ate strawberries straight from the flat
: : quietly watered the garden as the sun set

So thankful for a warm, peaceful and happy day to welcome summer with.

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

Sock Yarn Tee

I was desperate to find a simple, quick and easy pattern to help me work through my one skein stash of yarn. Yes, I could make a couple dozen hats but I was hoping for something more. Then this shirt came to my attention. It's the Country Kiddie tee from Pixie Purls. I had the perfect yarn too. I had bought a skein of some beautiful Socks That Rock yarn in Blush. I really love the colorway and one skein was just enough.
I love when things just come together to create such a pleasing result. As you can see it can be worn over long sleeves but it can still be worn along as a short sleeve tee. I used the medium weight Socks That Rock and used the 18 month pattern so I'm hoping it can last all the way into the fall. And have I mentioned I love the yarn?
Now that I'm working my way through my yarn stash, my fabric stash is calling to me. Yes, I know I've said it before but it's high time I get down to some sewing. I've chosen that pattern, cut the fabric and now all I have to do is sew. Let's hope I find the time soon.
Do you have any favorite one skein projects? What sorts of things do you make when you have a yarn or fabric stash to bust?

Spinach Tuesday

At some point over the weekend my spinach decided it was done for the season and went to seed. So I decided today I'd better pick it before it goes yellow. I hauled in two baskets full of spinach and declared today to be Spinach Tuesday.
We made a big batch of spanakopita for dinner, made Green Monster muffins for tomorrow, had a spinach omelet for breakfast and whipped up a berry and greens smoothie for an afternoon snack (my usual smoothie is strawberries or blueberries, banana, milk, spinach or kale, honey, ground flax seed and cod liver oil). We definitely got a good dose of iron and folic acid today.
I still have a bag of spinach in the fridge with plans of making yet another smoothie tomorrow morning and the Farmer's Market Salad from The Rhythm of Family for dinner. Tomorrow the chickens get their dose of spinach too as I'm planning on pulling out what's left in the garden to make room for the fall brussels sprouts that I will be starting soon. There will be more spinach in our future though since it makes an excellent fall veggie around here.
What's your favorite way to use spinach?

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!