One thing that we do enjoy is the pumpkin. This has been a tradition that is really daddy’s time with the children. It has gotten even more meaningful over the years as we have grown our own pumpkins. I think it has been over 4 years since we have bought a pumpkin. Another tradition is each child has their own pumpkin to pick the picture for (something that has really been challenging Proeun lately). We may have to change this and share pumpkins but the children love it.

Master carver at work.

I get the job of cleaning out the pumpkins and

Sorting the seeds. I love roasted Pumpkin seeds. This year I tried a new method from Serving up the Harvest.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Wash the pumpkin seeds and remove the “strings.” Start a large pot of salted water, bring to boil. Boil the seeds for 1 1/2 -2 hours. Strain. Preheat over to 250 degrees. Spread seeds in single layer on a baking sheet. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 45 minutes or until dry and crispy. So so good.

Pilot hat for Effie.

Hat for me plus finished
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the scarf I started after spring’s Shepherd’s Harvest Festival with yarn I bought from Winterwind Farm. Actually both the hat and the scarf are from the same yarn. 2 skeins gave me enough for both projects and some left over.

Finally the sweater for Mavis. She is my middle girl and such a sweet soul. I loved knitting this up for her. She was so happy to have mommy making something special for her and really motivated me to finish it up.

I promised I would share more of our staycation adventures. Well we didn’t just stay, we went camping also. To the family land. We have been working so hard with my parents and Proeun’s family to get a nice cabin set up. The children love having this wild space to explore and Proeun and I love to practice our homesteading skills like identifying mushrooms, trees and tracks, learning the ins and outs or woodburning stoves and propane heaters, lamps, etc.

With hunting season less then 2 weeks away and the newly installed woodburning stove tested out the duty of last week was to chop wood.
 

Turns out Proeun is a master wood chopper. Proeun and dad work on splitting the logs. While the children wait anxiously outside of flying log range for their signal
 

to come collect the wood and stack it on the pile.

Even Mavis was able to help. Children now when they are really helping and they love it. I was reminded once again how important it is to include them in daily tasks on a real level. Thank goodness my parents and Proeun were of the same mind.

At the end of the day there is much joy in a job completed. I am so thankful to rediscover the joys of hard work for myself and to share it with my family. Though honestly taking pictures isn’t too hard.

I found out yesterday that one of our close friends just had her baby. I called to arrange to bring a meal and I was asked if “tomorrow would work?” I hesitated for a moment, did I have time to plan a meal, cook it, get a gift and such? Then I remembered my stash of yarn and pantry full of items, “yes” was my reply.

My next step was to go to Ravelry and look for patterns. I typed in quick newborn and quick toys. I picked out the kid’s crown for big sister and the newborn sleeping bag for baby brother.

I am sad to, to not be farming to not see our customers every week and not be eating out of our field till next year, but definitely more gratitude then anything else.

This I will miss. The freedom the children have. Once we were camping on family land. Their cousin had come with us. The children were oh about 20 feet from us when she yelled, “heh come back you guys, someone is going to take you!” How much we loose in fear. A moment before they were holding hands, darn my camera–too slow.
 

Also I love working so closely with this handsome man! Proeun is packing boxes.

Family vehicle bursting at the seams with the whole farm family.

Pumpkins waiting at the dropsites.

Thank-you for all our customers, family and friends for another wonderful year.

Mavis loved throwing them up in the air and letting them fall on her head. The children had been begging to please go play in the leaves. So finally yesterday was the day.
 

Two liked the big boy job of raking. Avril tried to help but with one rake it was all getting too complicated

So Avril developed her own method. Very resourceful.

Mommy did finally have to step in to help get the pile going. Then the fun really began. They buried each other, pretended they were mummies emerging from the leaves, ran and played tag and begged mommy to come lie in the leaves with them.

Finally I succumbed.
 

Examples of Hmong embroidery.

Detail of embroidery. 

I have been known to knit, crochet, sew, embroider and once tate. It is a very worthwhile and calming experience and it is such a sense of accomplishment when you finish a project. 

Hmong tradition dictates that a mother make 2 of these handmade skirts of each of their daughters–one to be married in and one to be buried in. If you factor in the process to make the cloth, dye the cloth (including some batik) and embroider it it can take 1 year or more to make one skirt. I wrote in an article about these pieces that they were a visible manifestation of a mother’s love and devotion. While machine made clothes are faster and cheaper they loose the art, love and devotion required to produce these works of art. 

I suggested that the Center host a 1 year challenge asking young people to come together and encourage each other in the process of learning an old art.