Celebrating Spring with Gnomes and Strawberries

Its been a while so I finally decided to update! We have really cool internet that picks up on a wireless signal through Verizon but our signal is really lame out here so my internet is generally slow.

Nick has taken a bit of a break on the bathroom due to other tasks that must be done. I still don't have a toilet and my running water comes via a single spicket into a 5-gallon bucket. My composting toilet works great and doesn't smell. I suppose it was worth the lady at Southern States thinking I am insane. And everyone else in blogland. But you got to do what you got to do. Its better than living at my parents! Taking showers at Andy and Heather's has been really fun too. Once we have real plumbing I am having a party for everyone who helped us out. Thankfully Nick's dad is coming next week and he can hopefully help finish the major stuff in the bathroom!

Our lawn is finally mostly mowed and Leia is seriously enjoying it. I have let her run around about 3 times and she hasn't tried to harass the neighbors chickens. Now that I know them I don't mind as much having to go get my dog. Atleast I won't have to worry about hearing shot gun shells (even though I know they keep a 22 over their kitchen door). On another note, those same neighbors informed us that we have a ton of blackberry and blueberry bushes on our property. I also planted a thornless rasberry (on the verge of death) and we have some rather large peach trees. They have small green peaches and I really hope they are edible! I have heard peaches are hard to take care of because they get really buggy and diseased. I figure I will trial run everything this year, and see how it goes then next year I can add some things and learn how to maximize what we have.

I have been reading a lot about bento boxes lately and how to pack them inspired by the blogs on my last post. I even packed one for Nick's lunch today using a tupperware container. We will see how it goes over with my picky husband.

Did anyone else watch David the Gnome as a kid? It is one of those shows I loved as a kid!! I think it was on Nickelodeon for a while but you can find all the episodes on Youtube. I actually laid Anastasia down to watch it for nap time yesterday and it worked like a charm! Its such a sweet, earth-friendly show I wish they still aired on TV. Maybe then I would consider having a TV. But who needs a TV when you have Youtube and the world wide web? Here is a brief history of garden gnomes.

Sorry about the lapse in posting. I have been really busy doing boring things that I don't feel would make a very exciting blog. I mean, I could write long posts about how I organized my craft room/pantry and my thoughts on doing dishes with boiled water... but I will spare you the agony. I have several errands to run today so I better wake up Anastasia. Late nights=late mornings for her. Oh! And strawberries are in season! I am so excited to go picking here soon. Nothing like fresh strawberries and homemade whipped cream and pound cake!!!

Pack a Lunch!

I know I just finished my blog like 5 minutes ago, but I had to share these resources for boxed lunches. Who ever thought packing a lunch had to be boring?

Check out Berlin's Whimsy blogger's lunch box flickr page!

And lunch in a box.net has some seriously awesome lunch ideas too. I can't wait to try some of these ideas!

Spring

(Pictures: our backyard and barn, front porch, Nicks birthday fruit tart , and Anastasia!)



I was able to take my camera card, stick it in my dad's camera... and ta da! A feast for the eyes! :)

I was reading my mom's subscription to Mother Earth News while Anastasia was taking a bath and found an answer to my lack-of-plumbing problems!!! A sawdust composting toilet! Supposedly people actually use these in place of a regular toilet and compost the waste (aka humanure) for their non-edible plants. Gross eh? But due to my wish to actually live in our new house... I am willing to give it a shot! Seriously, Nick's new project is to build me one! I think maybe I really am a hippie.

I spent yesterday at the house with Nick (as he was sick) and we finished painting the living room. We sat down for some chicken soup at lunch and I realized the birds had found my feeders! There were birds everywhere! Cardinals, Orioles... even a skiddish little humming bird! We were all fascinated... even Anastasia who pointed at them excitedly! I call the area outside our dining area my bird sanctuary. I would like to plant some sunflowers and other bird friendly flowers there and get a window box with flowers and a tray for table scraps. I love living in the country!

I am going to the flea/farmers market in town this weekend because I was thinking of setting up a booth to sell some seasonal baked goods like my fruit tart pictured above, some mint iced-sun-tea, lemonade, and some handmade market bags. If the price is right, and I am allowed to sell, it might be a nice way to fund my craft-habit and Christmas savings account. ;)

This week

Still no pictures... sorry guys!

I am at my parent's house while Nick works on the bathroom at our house in the mountains. I feel like I am missing most of myself while he is there and I have retreated to knitting and watching Amelie to keep myself entertained. I was falling in love with our home... and had just re-introduced myself to my old dishes and I just got a text that Nick could hear our creek. We have our own Creek!!! I always wanted a creek.

Speaking of Amelie, I love that movie. I wish it didn't have the insanely risqué parts or it would be one of my favorites. I had forgotten how whimsical and imaginative and just plain beautiful it is. But I warn you... there are very, very bad scenes. Definitely don't watch it with someone you are dating like Nick and I did... very embarrassing. That is probably why I couldn't remember how much I liked it. Silly French people. (I can say this as I am part French Canadian).

How would you spend a savings bond worth around $100 from your grandparents? I have one of these and I am trying to come up with something meaningful to give to my kids as like a gift from them. Both of my grandparents were 100% Czech so I originally thought something from the Czech Republic would be very fitting. But something for kids too. I found some goofy toys but nothing that I feel would be truly loved and played with and then passed on to my grandchildren. So I was thinking of buying a wooden farm play set by Plan Toys to represent my family of Czech farmers that came to and live here in the US. But for all the items it would be well over $100!! Though it would probably last FOREVER. Their products are awesome. My other idea was to buy a Plan doll house. As a kid I LOVED doll houses... and assume every girl did and it was something I always wished for. At the age of 12 I finally got a nice rickety wooden doll house from a garage sale. But who knows if my kids would really want one? I thought it would be neat to buy furniture for at holidays until it is completely full... a true heirloom to love. Doll houses never go out of style. Any other cool ideas would be nice. :)

I put mayonnaise in my hair to see if it will really make it shiny and smoother. My hair has been so dry! It seems not to have recovered from nursing still... and it has been like 5 months! I better go shower and get rid of the odor. I hate mayonaise. It better work.

Update

Hello all my favorite blog readers!!! We finally have our little house which has been a TON of work for us. We are thrilled though, overall with our purchase. Our neighbors are very nice, the town of Front Royal is really laid back, we have mountains everywhere, the prices on groceries are cheaper, Anastasia is thrilled with her new room and home, and besides the lack of running water and plumbing, our house is really becoming the perfect home for us.

I LOVE having my own kitchen!!! And a nice town farmer's market and lots of local farms. I have been cooking like CRAZY! Well, I grilled a lot until we got a new stove. I love living in a small town in the country! I was worried I would be starved for more culture but DC is only a little over an hour away. Winchester is only 20 minutes away and a beautiful drive from our home. So I have access to culture without having to be bothered by it on a daily basis. Coming back to Stafford makes me HATE Northern Virginia with a greater passion. I think I have adopted a small-town mentality. Everyone passes me in rage because I am used to driving 25 mph. All I have to say is I will take the rednecks and hillbillies any day over the northern Virginia yuppie-snobs!

So as I announced last night, we are having another baby! I think it will be a boy, but I am not as sure as I was with Anastasia being a girl. At first the thought of another baby was somewhat overwhelming, especially as Anastasia's strong-will has been even stronger and harder to deal with now that she has this new independence as a toddler. I have become more and more excited though, and less freaked out as I think of how much fun the two will have together being so close in age. I also think it will be easier to home school them, and just do anything with them as they reach milestones together around the same time. They will be able to learn so much from each other. I also felt a bit guilty like I was robbing Anastasia of this special time of her being "the only child" so soon, but it will probably be a better adjustment now rather than a year or two later. As we are finally settling into our own life, I am becoming more and more EXCITED about #2!!!!

I think I am about 3 1/2 months along-ish. That means an October baby!! The first trimester was AWFUL! Way worse than with Anastasia but the second trimester has been way easier, I often forget that I am pregnant until I look at my big tummy (which as they say it will be, is bigger than it was at this stage with A). It has been like night and day. I have been craving greasy foods... especially Mexican. I am very happy to say that the kid's room is almost finished... and super cute. I will post pictures as soon as I am back at home and have my camera port.

So that is the most recent news. Anastasia and Leia are best friends now that they have more time together in the new house. Leia spent the night in Anastasia's bed (a glorified mattress on the floor) the other night and Anastasia loves reading her books to Leia. The other day I was in the kitchen and heard Leia growl really loudly from Anastasia's room and I freaked out thinking Anastasia was torturing her and getting bitten for it. If anyone knows Leia, she growls about everything... when playing, when getting pet, when happy as a clam and like a normal dog- as a warning. I ran in to find Anastasia giggling and throwing toys for Leia to fetch. Then Leia would growl as Anastasia would take them back to throw. It was so hilarious watching them and they did this all day yesterday. So cute.

the Pioneer life

I have been without running water and internet for nearly two weeks! Yikes! The toilet finally broke so Anastasia and I are back at my parents until Nick fixes things. I had a nice shower, read my overflowing emails and tried to catch up on my favorite blogs... but now I must sleep. I feel like a pioneer who fell into the future. I love the future!

Oh, and I wanted to officially announce to blogland that I am pregnant again! Hooray! More on that soon....

Little Update

For those who didn't read it first at Nick's blog, we closed on our house yesterday! Hooray! It has been a long time coming... and now we are officially homeowners!!! We have been working non-stop thus far... I am currently covered in paint and waiting for Nick to finish his shower.

I had to share a few of my favorite things: My new house, its front porch, and the bird laying on her eggs outside our bedroom window!!! What a nice little surprise. I also have to say I love Clorox Green Works products (they smell good without any yucky chemicals) and Sherwin Williams Harmony Paint (again chemical free). I usually get lots of headaches when I clean or paint, and I didn't! These things are better than the normal stuff you buy with bleach and ammonia, etc... which makes me wonder... why aren't all cleaning products green?

P.S.-My camera is officially broken. Which means no pictures until I get a new one (maybe this weekend?) Be glad I didn't disgust you with pictures of the bathroom Nick is ripping apart! I have never seen anything so gross!!!