Joe Turns Two!

Phil moved the sheep from the cherry orchard to the apples this morning before church. He made a large pen for the sheep, and let them graze in among the apple trees. This is the first time we've allowed that since the first week, when they figured out how to knock the trees over and defoliate them. Now, though, the trees have grown enough, the sheep appear to ignore them. And the pen set-up goes much quicker when all he has to do is make a large square.

I got to do the nursery at church today, which means I was in a corner of the room where all the children were. I had a six-month old, Joe, and another girl a bit older than Joe. We had a great time, playing and trying to understand baby talk. At one point, the older children had gone outside, and I had the baby drinking a bottle when the girl needed to go potty. So all four of us walked to the bathroom, the two toddlers whispering "shhh!" as they went. Poor Joe's pants needed a belt, as they kept drooping down to his ankles, so it was quite the little walk: bottle in baby's mouth while I carried him, pull up Joe's pants one-handed, try to figure out how to help the young girl get onto the toilet while still caring for bottle baby.

Parenting is not for the faint of heart!

Joe is two today. This is the first second birthday we've celebrated when I have not either had a new baby or been halfway along with the next pregnancy. Before I am pregnant again, I hope to figure out how to conquer morning sickness. I had gone without eating for a while earlier this week and had the same symptoms of morning sickness: queasiness, extreme fatigue, soreness all over, inability to function. After I ate (and ate and ate), I recovered easily.

So if I am actually suffering from a nutrition deficiency for 12 weeks or so during pregnancy, I need to figure out how to avoid that, so I can be a functional mother of many, and help meet to my husband.

For now, I rejoice in having brain cells to function at capacity.

And I like to laugh at Joe's antics. Jadon and he adore each other, and they make each other laugh. Joe must have been thinking about Jadon one morning a week or so ago, when he suddenly burst into belly laughs in his sleep.

After Bible study, we came home and I made extremely rich brownies. Joe knew exactly what to do with the candles: he started blowing as soon as he saw them lit. I doubt he made a wish, and it's a good thing, since, with the number of blows he needed, he would probably be about 57 before they came true (and Isaiah eventually helped him).


I've been struggling with my bread lately: it never seems to get quite done. I remembered, though, that a meat thermometer, inserted into the loaf, should read 200 when finished. I tried that today and it worked well. (The loaves didn't hit 200 until almost twice the expected bake time. No wonder they've been almost raw!)

A few other things to share. I was reading the latest Mother Earth News and saw a blurb about First Day Cottages. On a square footage basis, for what you get, these appear to be about the most reasonably priced homes on the market, and I think I've moved away from yurt and into the First Day Cottage camp. The smallest model, with a full basement, would be only a few square feet smaller than my parents' home, and they raised four children quite easily in that space.

I have had a notice on the Local Harvest website, and I finally received a request for eggs. Sadly, the gentleman wanted 375 dozen eggs per week (for his chain restaurant), delivered three or four hours away. I don't know how much land we'd need to generate that amount of production, so we had to turn him away.

An article I read about school food explained why schools do not buy much good quality food for their children. One district gets $2.86 per meal, and of that, $1.68 goes to labor. That doesn't leave much for actual food. In one district, the families became proactive. They bought a cow and had an auction for the high-end cuts of beef as a fundraise, then took the ground meat and used that to feed the students. Smart! (from a Joel Salatin article in Stockman Grass Farmer)

Finally, I don't worry too much about my animals eating poisonous plants. As long as they have enough forage in their pen, I've expected them to be smart enough not to kill themselves. In another article, I read this: "It appears that eating small doses of toxic plants are a way animals prevent internal parasitism." So those bits of poisonous plants are a natural dewormer. Excellent.

With much good cheer, we rejoice in this day that the Lord has given us.

Grace and peace to you!