January 1st 2012 was a landmark day for us. On this day our family woke-up for the first time on our homestead. Since then it’s been all joy and work and details and a whole lot of fun. Sorry we have been absent for so long–rural internet is not a given we are discovering.

Our days have been filled with lots of exploring as we set up home and farm operations so we will still be busy busy for the next couple months but here are some pictures from our recent wanderings.

A new favorite past time is hooking the dog, who doesn’t stay still much, to the sled and letting the children dog sled. We need a bit more snow now though.

We also enjoy identifying tracks. Not too sure on these, maybe a young raccoon.

In the midst of the hustle and bustle of a holiday season and a move it is easy to forget to enjoy every moment with your family.  It was a total shocker for me to hear of Denise’s losing battle with cancer. I had always thought of her so young and vibrant and I am reminded nothing is a given. Except one thing.

Proeun told me he thought I should meditate. I am reminded of the verse “Mary hid these things in her heart and pondered them.” As a momma of 4 miracles there is alot that I ponder too. I remember reading somewhere that when you have a child you are giving birth to an immortal soul. Yes I have alot to ponder too. At Christmas it is so easy to focus on the material gifts. Amazing how its so easy to not see the most amazing gift, creation of a life.

Today I am meditating on words–creation, redemption, forgiveness and the only given–love. I am overwhelmed with the wonder of it.

Sorry for the quality of this picture. I had to snap it quick before they realized what I was doing. As I took this picture they were all inside and it was a cave. Before that it was a beautiful home complete with guest bedrooms and before that a stable. As I cull the unnecessary for our move toys have been a particular area of concern. What to take and what to give away? While I am struggling, wondering if my children will have enough toys I am reminded it doesn’t take any toys at all to keep them occupied all morning.

That said I am experimenting with waldorf style toy making. This is Effie’s Christmas gift. I used the Sheep pattern from Living Crafts (scroll down) and created this little treasure in an evening. Yes I thought a black sheep would be cute. Don’t know if the children will dig it as much as I do but the older children think it is so cute for Effie. Using natural products and found items are something I really want to experiment with more.
 

As we embark on our new journey as farmers this book has alot of interest for me. It is fascinating to me that Almanzo’s father raised  merino sheep in the 1850s-60s. Or how careful he was when training horses, how to raise a “milk-fed pumpkin” and the techniques for building a sled to haul wood.

The children loved the pictures and I did to. It is interesting enough to be a fun read but has some interesting instructions that I plan to try out this next year.

Two things really fascinated me about the book–1. The price that Mr. Wilder got for his products, like $0.50/bushel for potatoes, $2/bail for hay and $400 for a team of horse. Yeah if you are thinking what I am thinking the prices haven’t gone up that much in 150 years.

2. When Almanzo’s older brother chooses a career as a shop keeper over farmer and Almanzo must make his own decision the benefits of being a farmer have not changed that much either.

Also CSA sales are now open. Hop over to our website using the tabs to the left for more information on our CSA. One important thing to note is that though our farm has been certified organic for the past 3 years our new farm has been farmed conventionally until now. So we will begin the process of certification right away and use the same great farming methods we will not be certified organic again until the 3 year transition is completed. We plan to continue offering the same great variety and use the same growing techniques.

So that is the great, amazing news. We are all so excited. The negative thing is the actual move.
 

Some things in boxes, some things sorted, but left out for frequent use and some things getting ready to be thrown away. The process has required a reordering of our life and conscious decision about what to keep and what to leave. I am thinking that I should go through a similar clearing out every couple of years. I am employing these 2 rules to decide what stays and what goes 1. is it useful (i.e. have I used it in the last year or so or will I use it in the next year?) and 2. is it beautiful to me?

So even with the clutter and the impending move which is doing wonders to teach us about contentment and the importance of relationships above of all else we are trying to take moments for beauty in this the most beautiful season of all.

Our first gingerbread house.

A bit of Christmas crafting (“elving” ala Soule Mama). More on that after Christmas.
 

Mama projects abound also. I thought about putting away the sewing and knitting to make way for the practical work of sorting, packing and moving. But I am finding I need it even more now then before. So here is a hat I completed for Two. He loves it and for a boy I have to fight tooth and nail to put on pants versus shorts a hat he likes is a blessing in more way then one.
 

So today I ponder different things in the life of the Doeun family. Now that the vacation is over and we are officially back to “work” what does that mean for us? Work looks alot different for us than most families as it centers around the home. So it is fitting that getting back to work would be a return home. But it also feels alot different, there is a joy in it and a deep sense of privilege, both for the circumstances that have led us to this place and the decisions and convictions.

Last Friday I was off on a free-lance writing assignment. For those of you who don’t know I write for Hmong Times part time and no Proeun is not Hmong. It has been one of those unique circumstances that is an incredible story that allows me to be home 90% of the time. Anyway I was talking with a dear friend and fellow writer who had just had a baby. We were discussing mothering and the topic of work came up. She works in academics and while she enjoys her work felt she needed some additional challenges.

Right then an there I felt a deep sense of thankfulness wash over for me. See I always feel “challenged.” Whether I always feel good about it is a different story. Part of my work is the work of educating my children I could write volumes about the intricacies of our journey but let’s just say my work will always be challenging and that is something I should be thankful for.

So as I spend the day doing laundry, getting the house back in order, cooking meals and trying to explain again why today we do school and no we can’t wait just one more day I am thankful for the opportunity to challenge myself and the children at our home in this amazing life we are called to.

Richard Huspek
Robert Kruger
Donald Larsen
Howard Froberg
Vera Peterson

Well I have had enough. So this weekend I began work on my new wardrobe. I had bought the fabric last May but then farming season started and well now it begins. Thanks to my mother’s expert help, my dad’s time with the children, my mother’s serger and The Backwoods Mama sew camp I am well on my way to some new and decent clothing, that is comfortable and functional for us busy moms

Two knit tops, a utility smock and knit pants I just happen to be wearing as I type. I still have some hemming to do but I wanted to get as much done with the serger (special sewing machine for finishing edges and sewing knit fabrics) as I could. I was planning on giving you a fashion show, but I realized I have no one to take pictures of me right at the moment so here you go.

One thing I loved about Backwoods Mama’s patterns are the ability to change it up. The turquoise top I made almost exactly to her pattern though I added a bit wider hem band. The purple one I made much longer and roomier for a more tunic like look and to wear over my new leggings I just purchased. The utility smock is missing the pockets since I didn’t have quite enough fabric for the pockets, but I have 2 more in the works.