We took advantage of the warm, sunny weather this weekend and spent most of the day outside yesterday. We continued putting away our fall harvest. P and I shelled sunflower seeds while B packed the carrots in sand and put them in the cellar. After that, we finished shucking this year's Indian Corn harvest. I always enjoy seeing the variety in color on the different ears of corn. Some have purple shucks and some have cream color. It is always a surprise to see what each ear looks like.
It was nice to finally be using the barn for farm and garden activities. We can now leave the corn in the barn and close the doors. It is much better to store it in the barn than have it spread all over the back porch where the chickens can get it as has happened in previous years.
We'll choose the best ears to save for planting next year.
We'll store some for grinding to make corn bread this year.
The remaining corn will be fed to the chickens.
Miss P made a corn husk doll with some of the corn husks.
Fiery Fall
Our beatiful days of sunny skies have continued well into October. I've been out trying to soak up as much sunshine as I can.
Our zinnias are still putting on quite a show.
The marigolds are not slowing down at all.
I know I'll want to remember all this fiery color in the coming dark months of winter.Miss P was channelling her inner Andy Goldsworthy while B and I harvested this year's Indian Corn over on the weekend.
I hope you are able to get out and enjoy the out of doors these days.
Sunny Days
We have been enjoying an unusually warm and sunny week. I've been spending much time outside soaking it in.
Our late summer flowers are still going strong.
Earlier this week I purchased our first ever comfy outdoor furniture. The couch and chair with ottoman make the back porch more like another room. I may have even had an afternoon nap or two out there.I'm beginning to feel reenergized and ready for fall.
Scenes from the Barn Basement
As part of the barn renovation, wedding preparations we are putting new wiring in the barn.
B was about to start taking out the old wiring this morning. Before starting, he came in and suggested that I take my camera out to the barn.
The lighting was low but I managed to get a few shots that capture the neglected state.
Who knows how long that Orange Crush can has been there?
I had a little company while I was working.
Don't worry, the wedding festivities will be on the main level, it is much cleaner and tidier up there. We'll also be giving it a final scrub down before the event. None of these photos show the area where the new flooring and supports have been put in.It is really difficult to capture the upper level of the barn in photographs. The space is so huge and open. I was in there the other day, sitting on the swing and enjoying the spaciousness and new floor. I had the idea that next summer I can use that space for kids sewing camp and maybe even some adult sewing workshops. I mentioned it to B and he is keeping that in mind when putting in the new wiring and outlets. Doesn't that sound dreamy? There is such a lovely cross breeze out there when the doors and windows are open.
Tiny Spring Eggs
Fall Harvest - the gathering husks edition
We're finishing up with our fall garden harvest this weekend and plan to shuck the Indian corn today. Miss P is studying a book of Corn Husk Crafts to try with the husks. I'll let you know if we end up making any dolls or other craft items.
Fall Harvest
Yesterday was a fall garden day which involved lots of weeding, digging, compost, and moving plants around.Today was a grape juice day.
Pigs and a Party
Miss P and I started our morning with a quick trip to the fair to visit the baby pigs. I know you guys love the baby pigs, right?
Now, we are baking a chocolate pound cake because my little girl is 3000 days old today and we are having a party!!!
Busy as Bees
Summer activities are keeping us busy.I'm enjoying the cooler weather - I even put on a SWEATER today! woohoo! There's not much sewing going on but we have canned our first batch of applesauce.
Future Fruit
Miss P and I journeyed around the property this afternoon and found that we have home grown fruit in our future. I love the fruit trees because we don't really have to do anything for them. Did you hear that? NO WEEDING for all this fruit! We won't mention the state of the garden. No, let's not go there.apples
pears
plums
grapes
We also found that part of a tree had fallen in the middle of one of our paths. I guess we get firewood too!
We look forward to a busy August of harvest, food preservation, and fire wood cutting. Yeehaw.Do you have any exciting weekend plans? The kids will all be here for the Fourth and we've planned a cookout with smores!
Wordless Wednesday
For the Love of Orange
Yesterday we had a controlled burn in our native prairie fields.
Burn days are usually very enjoyable; we stand around watching the fire making sure it stays in it's boundaries. It is supposed to peter out when it comes to the green lawn areas and paths that are kept mowed. If all goes well, we don't actually do much work - yesterday was one of those days.
I did get a bit of sunburn yesterday so today I'm staying in and sewing some scrappy binding to the Tealorange quilt.
Tealorange - quilting progress
I decided that the Tealorange quilt needed simple quilting. I started with stitching in the ditch between all the blocks and then added some parallel lines close to the ditch like I did on this quilt (but only in one direction).Then, I decided that I needed to fill the whole space with lines.
I have to say, I think the result is well worth the hours it took. I am thrilled with the results on the whole quilt.
I'm going to put a scrappy binding of orange and teals around it and will share a full view photo when it's really finished.
It has finally gotten warm enough to be outside without sweaters so we've also been working on some outdoor chores. Yesterday we went out in the fields hunting for morels and asparagus - we didn't find any of those but we did come back with a big load of garlic mustard. Today we'll plant some more things in the garden any maybe even have a field fire. I tell you, the fun never ends around here!
What projects have you been working on?
Wordless Wednesday
A Sunny Day
We finally had a sunny day! It started off sunny and stayed sunny all day.
The chickens even ventured out. They usually just stay in the barn when there is snow on the ground.
They even came over to visit on the front porch.
I hope they enjoyed their day out because we are supposed to get six inches of fresh snow tomorrow night.
Flashback Skinny Tee
P is a skinny girl. Seven years old and all of 40 pounds. Usually when a shirt or top fits her in the shoulders it is way too short and doesn't even reach the top of her pants. Not a great look. So, she usually wears shirts that look a bit big on her.Enter Rae's Flashback Skinny Tee pattern. It seemed like this pattern was made for Miss P. I cleaned out my dresser on the weekend and found an old shirt of mine that P liked. We cut it down and made a great new shirt for her. This is the first shirt that has actually FIT her in years! She loves it.
The pattern is super easy and I was able to keep the existing sleeve hem and neck finish of the original shirt with careful placement of the pattern pieces.
She likes the top so much that she had to wear it for the rest of the day - which was spent threshing the black beans that we grew this year.A few weeks ago we pulled up all of the black bean plants and wrapped them in old sheets and put them on our upper porch to finish drying (we didn't want the beans to fall from the pods into the garden). Yesterday was the perfect crispy warm fall day for threshing.First we wrap a big bundle of plants in a tarp. Then, P's favorite part, we thwack it with a stick to pop the beans from their dry pods.
Then we pick out all of the plant parts making sure there are no beans left in the pods.
What is left on the tarp is a pile of black beans mixed with chaff.
On a breezy day we will pour this mix from bucket to bucket and let the wind carry away the chaff and we will be left with black beans to store for future meals.
Yesterday was a perfect fall day!I also found the perfect pattern for the top of P's Elf costume for Halloween! She'll be a skinny elf in a Skinny Tee!
Raspberries
Raspberry ribbon pie tonight!
Summer Scheduling
I've been working and sewing like crazy lately and beginning to feel like Miss P was getting the short end of the stick. We've changed around our daily plan and have made more time for some "fun for her" stuff.She really enjoys a good popcorn picnic with stories in the yard. We are happy that our heat wave broke for a few days and have been spending a little more time outside. 
We have been trying to have fun with our chores too. She liked giving the garlic bulbs haircuts yesterday. We have also mastered the "two minute tidy" where we set the timer for two minutes and then both tidy up very fast. We can really get a lot of stuff put away in two minutes! That's a fun thing to do right before we play a game or start to fix dinner.
I've been trying to sew before she gets up in the morning, after she goes to bed, or while she is busy with a project of her own. Sometimes, though, she wants to help with the sewing. Today we whipped out some Flea Market Fancy improv blocks.
Well, I'd better go. She says it's my turn for Spirograph.
American Chestnut
It's been hot and muggy here for quite a few days. I went out for a quick stroll after a two minute rain shower this evening. Really, I dashed out to get the little chicks out of the rain and by the time I was back inside and had dried off my feet the rain had stopped. Still, it was nice while it lasted. We are weary of moving the soaker hose around the gardens.Anyway, I mentioned that I went for a short stroll-- I noticed that the air behind the barn was thick with a heavy pollen odor.
The American Chestnut is putting on quite a show.
And now it's time to go start quilting a quilt!
Wordless Wednesday - The mushroom edition
