The very last of our May snippets (:

Jason planting on a rainy day, decked out in mosquito hat and layers of clothing.

Ollie has learned how to use scissors! He is 30 months old (:

I made potato soup, chili, and spaghetti with wild leeks and kale, all at the same time. I like to do this, and then we can eat for days and I don't have to cook. Very good for peace of mind!

Self portrait.

My wonderful fleeces! I still haven't done anything with them, but I will soon (: The one wrapped in the tablecloth is Woolly Pippin's, and the one on the table is Teapot's.

Our new 'clubhouse'. So far, there are three rules for members to know:

1. No mosquitos allowed

2. No fighting in the clubhouse

3. Be nice

Three huge morels that I spotted in the wooded area right beside our house!

Morel mushrooms from our woods

Jason watering the garden with collected rainwater

Ollie stickerface!

Tomorrow is the first day of June - and I still have not tucked away the winter gear! I suppose I was in disbelief that winter truly had gone on its way. We have been busy. Jason has been working diligently at getting the gardens ready and planted with heirloom flowers and vegetables. In all, we have seven gardens. He put in a whole new plot this year dedicated to growing Floriani Red Flint corn, and I look forward to using it for tortillas and bread come the wintertime. We have been foraging in the woods; wild leeks and morel mushrooms right now, plus some other wild edible mushrooms.

The lilacs are in bloom, and the kids and I have been spending tons of time outside with the lambs. We like to sit down in the pasture grass and feed dandelions to Noble. Shady Grove and Turnip leap and race and play and when they tire, they trot back over and lay next to me so that I have all 3 lambs leaning against me, and we just sit quietly and enjoy the sun and wind, and it is my happiest time in the day (:

This photo was taken a bit ago, as the lambs have been sleeping in the barn for many weeks now.

Noble is such a sweetheart (:

Our Jude, the little artist

Just like Isabella before him, Jude is an amazing artist.
He loves to draw pictures with markers and pastels, create collages, and paint.

Here, he is working on a painting of a robot.

Rarely do you find this child quiet and completely engrossed as he is here..

My lovely boy!

The month of May in pictures...because there is no time for writing in the spring!

Chicken Pinafores with a sweet little collar!

Pinafores for sale in my etsy shop! And by the way, my beautiful model is Foo Foo the chicken (:

Lamb snuggles

This is basically all we do around here! Hug lambs all day long..
Actually, we are beyond busy. April and May are INTENSE!

There are bottle lambs to care for, sheep and a goat to shear and deworm and hoof-trim. Gardens need to be prepared and the 200 seedlings in our pantry need to be tended daily. We are adding new gardens this year and hope to dig up a huge area for heirloom corn as well. Spring cleaning the house and the land, the barn..We will be putting the lambs out there tomorrow so we'll be mucking out the old and freshening with new bedding and such. And in all of this, I still have to prepare those three darned meals a day and keep the house clean! The good news is that there is sun and rain, and all of the snow is gone gone gone. The winter was long and very very cold. The sun on my face nearly brings tears to my eyes, I love it so much (: