MommyCoddle

Goings on

Do you ever feel like you’re wearing too many hats? Or maybe that too many things really interest you? That thought has been on my mind lately. I think it has something to do with this set-up, clean-out and arranging of my new office/craft/work space at Woodlawn. As I decide whether the basket of vintage sewing notions should stay in the room or get ferried up to the attic. As I uncover two bowls of pottery buttons that I made two kids ago. As I file away homeschooling papers and figure out where to stash my work laptop. Decide which recipe clippings I’m going to keep. Figure out where to put all that yarn. Uncover a few bills. Oops. Stack up gardening books and field guides.

I think it’s probably a natural reaction when we’re faced with the task of cleaning out our “stuff”. So far moving in to Woodlawn has been about everyone else’s stuff. And kitchen stuff. And where to put the bath towels and the big wooden box of barn boots.

But now this is my stuff. And deciding what stays, what goes, what I let go of, what I put away for now, is a bit daunting. When did simplifying become so complicated?

Anyway, that’s my little brain dump for the day before I go back to trying to clear a flat surface on my desk again today.

In the meantime, by my absence here, it’s probably obvious that spring is giving way to summer and life is full here at Woodlawn. A few goings on….

But now this is my stuff. And deciding what stays, what goes, what I let go of, what I put away for now, is a bit daunting. When did simplifying become so complicated?

Anyway, that’s my little brain dump for the day before I go back to trying to clear a flat surface on my desk again today.

In the meantime, by my absence here, it’s probably obvious that spring is giving way to summer and life is full here at Woodlawn. A few goings on….

* The chickens have been officially moved outdoors to a coop. Last night’s after dinner entertainment involved trying to figure out how to get a favorite chicken to ride on their bike handlebars. According to WYPR, chickens love it. (We’ve yet to be succesful.)

* I’ve learned how to deal with bloated sheep. Twice. Another skill in my farming repertoire.

* We made my granmother’s granola. Again. And then they ate it from the pan, warm from the oven. And what looks like a small granola bomb hit my kitchen floor.

* We swam in the creek. Again.

* Dan and Grandpa built a horse jump. It’s been getting lots of use. And sometimes I have to cover my eyes.

* I’ve become better friends with the giant “estate” mower that Dan brought home from work. But I’m still not in love.

* I took back the porch chairs from the barn cats. Enjoyed one day of sitting in cat-free chairs. And then they re-claimed them again. I’m fighting a losing battle.

* I’m giving some serious thought to making a personal goal to be here every day in June. Even if it’s just a few words. I think it will be good all around. And good for me. I still have 48 hours to decide…

More soon!

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Found // 6 inspiring gardening videos

My husband is the master gardener of our family. The one dreaming up kitchen garden plans, planting perfectly straight rows of bush beans, and designing elaborate trellises for the cucumber plants from branches and posts he finds around the yard. He used to stay in Australia before we got together and as he used to live in his family home back there, he used to always look at the MyLawnCare gardeners Brisbane come and make his home’s lawn look extremely beautiful and right from there the gardener within him also came alive and every time the season changes he is out there in the garden trying to make it all ready for the season.

But our first spring here at Woodlawn will be a little quieter on the gardening front. Mostly, we’re spending this year weeding, pruning and sitting back to watch what emerges from the dormant gardens around the house. The surprise of a wisteria, slumped among the boxwoods. The twiggy bush outside my kitchen window blooming into a lilac. The hydrangea hiding outside the back porch. We decided to take a break from pest control companies like Pest Control Colorado Springs and do the task by ourselves. We also considered asking the help of some specialists in pest extermination of a trusted company similar to the pest control Melbourne services that uses eco-safe solutions and materials in eliminating any sort of pests.

This spring is mostly about watching and waiting, and making as much room as we can for things to grow. Tidying up long-neglected flower beds. (And, dealing with outbreaks of poison ivy everywhere!). We also hired specialists for cutting trees near Alpharetta GA to help us with old trees removal.

But we still look for inspiration. I owe many of these discoveries to my husband, who seems to have a knack for un-earthing long-forgotten television series. So with gardening season hitting full stride, I thought I’d share six must-watch gardening videos that will hopefully inspire your spring planting. Some have you stepping way back in time, but those lessons and reminders are timeless. Others inspire my modern-day gardening ideas and remind me of the joy in pulling those carrots or potatoes or cut flowers, straight from my own back yard. Enjoy.

1. Meet Your Urban Farmer | Victory Gardens // 2. Victorian Kitchen Garden | May

3. Fork to Fork | Potatoes, Carrots… // 4. The Wartime Kitchen Garden | Episode 1

5. Jamie Oliver at Home | Garden Tour // 6. Geoff Hamilton | Parade Gardens

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animal kingdom / DAILY FARM LIFE / Woodlawn

Woodlawn update // barn projects

Yesterday afternoon, while Birdy was napping, it suddenly occured to me that I hadn’t heard from the girls for what was pushing two hours. Usually, I can hear them somewhere in the house. Or hear them outside the kitchen window.

I walked outside and all was still quiet. Bikes strewn across the grass. A sweatshirt on the hood of my car. The usual troop of lounging barn cats were missing. No dog to greet me. I mean, let’s be realistic. Usually in the span of two hours at least one person is coming inside to find me, usually in tears, usually arguing with her sister over something. At the very least, I expect someone to arrive with a bloody knee or skinned up elbows.

My heart stirred a little. Did they go off hiking to the creek without asking me first? Did I give them permission to go off with someone and forgot? Were they up over the back hill?

I found them eventually, in the barn. They’d spent those two hours rearranging heavy cattle gates and fences to build themselves an indoor riding ring in the gigantic stone barn. We only inhabit three smallish stalls for the sheep and the pony and haven’t given much anything else in the big barn our attention. Suddenly struck with inspiration, the girls had hauled away boards, raked up old straw and even ran the big magnet around the dirt, to unearth any hidden nails or sharp objects.

When I walked in, it was full-on pony lessons. They’d created a safe, small little spot ring to ride. And they were absolutely content, not needing a thing from me.

The barn has become the favorite hangout this spring. Over the past two weeks, Dan built the girls a pretty cool litttle tack room for all their gear, saddles, bins of feed, leather soaps and polish. “Better than a clubhouse!” someone exclaimed at some point.

Little by little they’ve been adding their own accessories to this space. An old rug that Dan and I deemed tack room material. A cabinet. A bench and magazines. A giant calendar. A radio. Emma even dug out some grapevine wreaths from the basement and hammered in nails to hang them on the old, grey barn doors.

Being in the barn was one of my favorite things when I was little. Especially at night with the lights on, the radio playing, all the animals chomping and pulling at their hay.

So of course, I get a little thumping in my chest when I see my girls out here in the Woodlawn barn. Soon, we’ll fix up the broken wires and run some electricity. But for now, I’m just enjoying them, enjoying this special place all their own.

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