burning wood

Summer is in full swing and we are enjoying it immensely so far. Berry picking and birthday parties. Planting flowers and making jam. Tree swings and flip flops. These are the sorts of things that have been filling our days this season.

I'm no fool and I know that summer must come to an end at some point. First autumn and then winter, before the warmth of next year's spring and summer return. And in the midst of enjoying all of the warmth and easiness that summer has to offer, I can't help but begin to prepare for the coming of colder, harsher weather.

Call it nesting, foresight of just necessity, but we have begun thinking about how we will keep ourselves warm (and feed ourselves well) during the chilly, barren days of winter.

Specifically speaking of heating our home, we are pretty much facing two options: going completely broke from buying heating oil or investing in a wood-burning stove.

Well, the verdict is in... and I see lots of stacked wood sitting in my living room corner in our near future. The wood-burning stove has officially been put on our priority "to buy" list.

Being the lover of beautiful and useful things that I am, I was slightly fearful of what sort of massive clunky piece of metal (I'm picturing the stove that I grew up being warmed by) would be the focal point of my living room. I figured that finding a wood-burning stove that fit into both of these categories would be nearly impossible.

Until I saw this gorgeous stove from Dutch designer Dick van Hoff...


I can totally see this gorgeous wood-burning stove keeping us warm this winter (and many winters to come).

five

Okay, so I blinked. And then my first-born son was five years old.

My little dimpled middle child is turning five tomorrow morning and I just had to post some photos of this beautiful boy that I am blessed to call my son.
He started out life as a little bundle of sweetness. Small and still and strong.

...and he soon grew to be more than my arms could hold .

He's been being smothered in kisses and love and big-sistering from the start. And this child still attracts love and affection from all who encounter him.

My little beach comber. Lover of sticks. The explorer and nature lover of the family.

Nicolas my love, happy fifth birthday.

{Thank you, thank you Kristen from Kristen Taylor Photography at He[arts] and Thoughts for blessing us with an outdoor family photo shoot lastnight! More of her photos to come on HomeGrownLife real soon!}

favorite blogs

So, one of my favorite craft bloggers at Tree Fall Design has posed a few questions about what makes a good blog and has asked for some input. I thought that I would let you all know why I LOVE some blogs more than others (I have several blogs that I read daily and just can't get enough of).

What makes you enjoy a particular blog (not just this one, any one that you read)?
I am mainly fascinated and interested in two things: sewing and family life. So, as it turns out, all of my favorite blogs are authored by mothers. Reading about how one remains creative and productive while children are running under foot (and sometimes, under shirts nursing) is very enjoyable to me.

I love the easy style of writing and the vulnerability that Amy Karol at Angry Chicken writes with. She is quirky and humble, yet an amazingly talented artist. She makes me laugh and admire her work at the same time.

Food blogs are also high on my list.

What type of post is your favourite?
My favorite type of post is one in which the blogger reveals a completed project- be it a newly sewn quilt, a piece of clothing that was made or a yummy meal that was prepared. I also love being able to catch small glimpses about the daily life- the mundane- of other families. Whether it's a meal, an outing, a craft, a favorite book or a child's favorite play nook, it's all fascinating to me.

I also adore reading about how the children were involved in the process.

How important are the photographs?
For me, the photos often make the blog. I like detailed shots or glimpses into the life of the person writing. It's nice when the photos don't seemed staged or planned, but really and truly real-to-life. That's what I love most about my favorite blog, Soule Mama.

Does the design of the blog attract you or even stop you from reading it?
I tend to like crafty-looking blogs with lots of color, fabric, food, or really neat graphics in the header. Vintage-looking blogs just take the cake when it comes to the most attractive style of blogs to me. Blogs loaded with ads or buttons or banners often turn me off. I love links that are often rotated... they keep it interested.

Do you like blogs to be colloquial/regional or fairly generic?
Fairly generic is just fine with me. It doesn't really much matter to me where that mother is writing from, just so long as I can learn something new or be inspired in the tiniest way.

An equal amount of craft and family, or does too much of talking about the kids put you off?
As much as I love seeing the crafting and artistic side of blogs, I equally enjoying reading about the bloggers family life- children included.

What else? What are the best words of advice you can give a blogger?
Write about things you L O V E. Whether it be homeschooling, raising chickens, sewing or cooking gourmet meals. Don't worry about trying to write about topics that you think others will enjoy reading. Someone, somewhere will just adore your blog if you do.

farmer's market

I must admit that I did not (yet for another year in a row) plant a vegetable garden in my yard. Although in the past, this was because I just couldn't "pull it together" and get the job done, this year was quite deliberate.

We have a rather small backyard and typically every square inch of it is being used to dig up, swim on, make mud puddles in or skip through. The thought of planting a few tender vegetable plants in the midst of all this free play just seemed inconvenient.

But... we still have to eat. And so, I made a conscious decision to forgo the garden and instead opted to support my local farmer's market with the majority of my vegetable, dairy and beef purchases this summer.

Who wouldn't want to visit this wonderful little sunny spot on Saturday mornings? A spot where livestock farmers and berry farmers and bakers and soap makers all share the same wide open space. A spot where you could literally eat your way through as you walk from tent to tent.

I ventured there bravely yesterday morning with not only my three, but my sister's toddler as well. So there I was with four curious and hungry children needing enough tomatoes, milk, rhubarb and ground beef (this is the only place where I've yet to find local, grass-fed beef) to meet our needs for the upcoming week.

With the help of several gooey caramel pecan cinnamon buns I was able to fill my list and even managed to avoid any major unhappy moments on the part of the children.

It was an ideal Saturday morning (can you hear me sighing?).

strawberry bliss

Today is the first (official) day of summer!

And although our "summer" is already in full swing, it is always exciting to look a season from the start and imagine all the adventures that lie ahead.
The kids and I decided that we would start off the season with a morning of strawberry picking at a local farm. Every time we go picking it is always such a reality check about just how much work it takes to grow the food that we eat.

We had the easy part- picking. But as the sun beat down on our tired, bent-over backs and straw tickled our feet between the rows (this was a huge annoyance for one of my children), we realized just how much energy, time and patience goes into planting, growing, harvesting, storing and preparing food.
Needless to say, much to my disappointment, Sophia and Nicolas decided that they would never want to be farmers (this doesn't mean that their parents can never be though!!!!).

The picking was only part of the experience. We got straight to jam making as soon as we arrived home. We kept it simple and made freezer jam so that the kids could help out at each stage- washing, mashing, mixing, pouring and let's not forget, the most important step... tasting!

I have a dream of having a fully stocked pantry and freezer with all homemade food items. This is one tiny step into that direction of that enormously large dream.



**If you're interested in learning more about the extraordinary endeavor of growing, harvesting and living off of that food only, look into Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. This has been my favorite spring book and currently my favorite summer book also!!**

dimples

Just a few shots of Nicolas just being Nicolas...


This child just makes me happy. How can you frown when you see all those dimples?

And to think that in just under two weeks this little dumpling is turning five years old!

hello again

This blog has become one of my "outlets" in life. Whether I would call it a creative outlet, well that would be a matter of opinion. In posting my thoughts and mediocre photos about my life and that of my family, I suppose I am not really being creative or making/expressing something that didn't previously exist (except often sense of my daily life). But I am expressing something. Something that I have learned. Something that has made me laugh. Something that has helped me to feel more inspired in my kitchen. Something that I love doing. Something that I wish I could be doing. And often times, just something that I'm thinking about after I've tucked my children snugly into their beds for the night.

So, let me just say thank you to all of you (my loving and often silent readers and friends) for encouraging me to not entirely abandon my blog. Many of you had such kind words and affirmations to share with me about this blog that I came to my senses and realized that I could never entirely walk away from this portion of my life.

It has been a refreshing and yet, full, eight weeks. Since I've last posted many amazing experiences have been had. Things like...

attending the birth of my newest niece, Adeline
turning 31 years old
traveling to a few different states looking for work for our family
various sewing projects, including summer blankets and aprons
completing a successful and memorable year of preschool and first grade, and
really, really learning to find contentment in the midst of chaos and uncertainty

The break has been good. I feel fully recharged and ready to share my energy, thoughts, passions and convictions with you all once again.

If you'll have me back...

Under Construction

This blog is officially under construction. There will be new posts and photos and headers coming very soon! I have taken a nice break and am feeling the need for my blogging outlet again. Just need to get a few more things in place before I write.

-Jill