My Little Boys

Baby Bathtime

Peppers

Autumn Photo Shoot of the Boys

Matthew Smiles!

Harvest Season

It's that time of year again. That time when the evenings get dark earlier and the mornings have a chill in the air, while the days are still warm and sunny. The leaves are beginning to turn a golden shade. And the garden is winding down. It is the time of the harvest. I love this time of year. We are gathering the potatoes, onions, and squash in from the field. The dehydrator is running most of the time filled with tomatoes, pears, or onions. I canned 21 pints of salsa verde and the apple butter is cooked down and ready to can also. The pantry is filling up, all stocked for winter. Soon it will be time to get our firewood in. This time of year is busy and yet there of something slower about it,  something cozy, a hint of winter rest.

An Anniversary

We celebrated our fourth anniversary last Thursday. It was a very special day celebrating our life together. The day began with a delicious breakfast prepared by Andrew along with a lovely bunch of red roses. In the evening we went out to eat at a charming little restaurant. We got ice cream and a movie and finished the day off at home. We have had a wonderful four years together. I am so blessed to have married such a handsome, thoughtful, smart, funny, and loving man.

Hard to Believe

It is hard to believe that my baby is already two weeks old! He is such a joy. I just love his little hands and feet; and his little ears and nose; and his soft, soft head. He is such a sweet baby, pretty content for the most part. He has become so much more alert, looking at my face and turning his head to hear voices. He loves to be talked to and cuddled and kissed. We love him so much.

Our Second Son

We are so happy to announce the birth of our second born Matthew Jonathan Engell. He was born at 6:41 in the evening on Tuesday August 14th. He weighed 8 lbs. 4 oz. and was 21 inches long.  My labor went really smooth this time and wasn't overly long. I went into labor around 7:30 in the morning. I kept going about my normal business for awhile. My contractions started picking up around ten.  And everything went steady and smoothly from there. I don't remember when the pushing started but it doesn't seem like it was too long.  And then Matthew was born at 6:41. I felt so good after he was born just relaxing in my bed holding my sweet little son.

Little Luxuries

Sometimes while living the farming life it can be easy forget to make time for little luxuries. Money can get tight so we don't buy extras or we can get so busy that time seems to be in very short supply. Recently I have been enjoying making sugar and sea salt scrubs. I have been selling them at the farmers market but I always make a bit extra for us. They are wonderful on dry feet, hands, knees, elbows or anywhere else. I use them in the shower on any rough spots from working in the garden. Andrew even likes to use them on his hands. So now I am going to share my quick and easy recipes with you. Enjoy!

Sugar Scrub

3/4 cup organic cane sugar

1/4 cup coarse turbinado sugar

1/3 cup sweet almond oil or other light oil

20-30 drops essential oil (I like blending vanilla and lime)

Sea Salt Scrub

3/4 cup sea salt

1/4 cup himalayan pink salt

1/3 cup olive oil

20- 30 drops essential oil (I have been using lavender and grapefruit)

For both recipes simply mix all ingredients together and store in a lidded container. I like to put mine in small cute canning jars.

Just a couple of cautions now. If using in the shower be careful because they can make the flour slippery. Also the sea salt one will sting or burn any open cuts or scrapes.