a gypsy caravan

bee preparation

I have wanted to keep bees for a long, long while.  After keeping them for decades, my friend Chris had decided not to do so any longer and was selling her equipment. She brought it over recently and I am getting it ready for next Monday when the bees are due to be ready for pick up. I missed the window for mail shipment so I will have to drive to the apiary to get the bees and transport them home in my Yukon. The apiary is about an hour and a half away so I am a little nervous about how that will go.  Hopefully, as uneventful as possible. I have visions of bees flying around my car and all of the children screaming in fear.  :)

Anyhow, here is what I've been working on thus far.

First, I needed to rid the frames of the old wax combs and sheets.  Using a hive tool, I scraped off the wax and propolis and removed the old reinforcement wires so I could insert new wax sheets. Very messy job but kind of fun. 

Below you can see the frame once it has been cleaned. The tool you see is a hive tool which is used for any variety of bee related jobs. 

Here is the fresh wax sheet, reinforced with wire to help bear the weight of the heavy honey/brood. The bees will build up the hexagonal dents more deeply. You can see an example of that in the photo above of the old wax. 

 

Here is a frame with a fresh wax sheet inserted. 

There are ten frames in each of the deep boxes that I prepared. 

I plan to give the boxes and stands a fresh coat of white paint tomorrow.  I'll post a photo when I'm finished. Excited to pick up the bees on Monday.   Have a wonderful weekend!

nine

{my beautiful girl}

you are kind and funny, brave and strong.  you have a way of making everything beautiful.

:: creative, adventurous and forgiving ::

a friend anyone would be glad to have on their side  

:: loving and faithful through thick and thin ::

happy birthday to my eldest daughter and dear friend. 

God keep you always. xoxo

sisters in the sun

happenings in the gardens

"Every child should have mud pies, grasshoppers, water-bugs, tadpoles, frogs, mud-turtles, elderberries, wild strawberries, acorns, chestnuts, trees to climb, brooks to wade in, water-lilies, woodchucks, bats, bees, butterflies, various animals to pet, hay-fields, pine-cones, rocks to roll, sand, snakes, huckleberries and hornets; and any child who has been deprived of these has been deprived of the best part of his education."

-Luther Burbank

There has been much time spent in the out of doors lately.  We have taken a break from unpacking to work in the yard planting perennials, building and preparing vegetable gardens, hauling soil and readying bee boxes for their future inhabitants.

 

Mike and Ben spent a day building the raised vegetable beds. They turned out so nicely. 

(Lazy woman's method of weed control and grass removal.  Simply load soil on top and you're finished.)  

We have one 4x12 foot bed devoted to strawberries.  The remaining 3 beds will be vegetables. 

We also planted three blueberry bushes in the yard near the gardens. 

(I thought about cropping the car out of this photo.  And the garbage can.  And trying to touch up the paint on the house (it will be painted this summer), and moving the extra stone from the doorway but then I figured, it is what it is right now.)

Above is one of the perennial beds that the children planted.  It still needs to be mulched but they've done a fabulous job getting all of the flowers in the ground. As you can see, we are working on a little flagstone walkway as well. This perennial bed will be a cut flower garden to attract butterflies and hummingbirds. So far we have planted peonies, bleeding hearts (both white and pink), lupine, poppies, foxglove, daisies, coneflower, aster, pussytoes, clematis, columbine, black eyed susan, phlox, violets, lavender and veronica. There are also two rose bushes that were there when we moved in.  The rest we have added ourselves. I'll take a photo of the bed when its completely finished. 

Here are all of the plants the children chose...

I added this little flower arrangement on the door at the end of the stone walkway. 

I will post some photos of the bee equipment, possibly tomorrow. Until then, I hope you have a happy day today and that you are able to get outside and enjoy the sunshine! 

a bit of a house tour

Our new (and yet, very old) home is beginning to take shape ever-so-slowly. There are many more boxes to unpack, many more trunkloads of purged belongings to donate.  But we are getting there. I was recently telling a friend that my life has been so busy that I haven't made the time to post on the blog.  I want to keep a record for the children of the milestones, both large and small, of their childhoods. So I'm going to try to be a little more faithful to post our comings and goings. 

Here are a few peeks into the areas that are unpacked.  Don't be fooled because the remainder of the house, not pictured here, looks fairly chaotic at this moment and may for a few more weeks. 

This home was built in 1870 and was once the farmhouse for a 65 acre farm. The land was sold to our county's historical society many years ago and is now a living museum where visitors can learn more about Ohio history. 

There are several entrances to the house but the one we use most often is through a small mudroom/hallway where the farmer used to walk in and immediately wash his hands in a large porcelain sink. The sink is worn from a century of use and is permanently stained where the porcelain has worn off. But I think that adds to its charm.

There is a large backsplash and side area where I've put some plants and an antique scale I bought at a vintage shop. The window above the sink lets in alot of morning light so the plants are flourishing. 

Pictured below is opposite the sink area where we hang tote bags, nature notebook bags and a few other things. One of my favorite recent finds is that basket.  It has a hole in the bottom for storing plastic bags (of the grocery store variety). They can be pulled through the bottom whenever one is needed.  

Another view of the mudroom area. The color we chose for the walls is called Butter Cookie by Behr. Eventually the tan woodwork will be painted white but we have a few things to do beforehand. 

Next is our bedroom which will easily become my favorite room when all is said and done around here. That is the coverlet that we got for our wedding. I have had other quilts and comforters over the years but this is by far my favorite. The paint in the bedroom is called Brown Bread by Behr. 

Here is a little area I worked on in our dining room. I wanted to set up an entertaining buffet for those times when friends stop by for a visit or when we just want a place to put appetizers and snacks. There are no big drinkers in our family but we enjoy a bottle of wine on the weekends. I also bought some margarita glasses and mixes for Mike recently and am putting him in charge of making them. :) I think they taste good on a hot, summer day. 

I often peruse the Pottery Barn catalog and other similar places for decorating ideas.  They have many decanters and carafes listed on their site from $30-$100 but they can be found for a fraction of that at resale, antique or Goodwill shops. I bought the two glass decanters as well as the cocktail shakers for a few dollars each at a fabulous local vintage shop. In the far back left is an old sterling silver trophy cup that I am using as an ice bucket. 

Wait, as an aside, do you see the lilacs?!? I am so delighted to live in a home once again where lilacs grow in the yard! I can't tell you how happy the flowers make me. 

Here is a funky, industrial tool shop organizer that is now being used as a wine rack. Not sure about the candles but for now there they stay. I really like industrial retro accents.  Couldn't handle a full house of it but I like a bit here and there.  The typewriter, for example, adds character and conversation to a home. 

There is a second floor full bath and a first floor bath with a shower in this home.  Oddly, the first floor bath is also the laundry room.  This is odd in that when a guest needs to use the bathroom, they must do so with a washer and a dryer in the room. Maybe no one else will think that strange but we do. Anyhow, I've tried to make the two meld together as best as possible.  

The large glass container holds the powdered laundry soap. I've used some vintage blue Ball jars for cotton balls and q-tips. A few baskets for storage and a sign I picked up because I thought it was neat. Hopefully, the kids will do those things regularly.  At least, here's hoping. :)

Ok, off to bed now for me. I will try to post some more photos as areas are unpacked, decorated and finished. Thanks for stopping by!

 

a new home

We are surrounded by boxes but we are very happy. There is room to stretch here and people are beginning to unfurl. This home was built in 1870 and was the farmhouse of a 65 acre farm. The floors are not level, the walls are not new, there are funny quirks about this house but there is a deep charm and hominess about this place.  We are in love. I have taken a few photos of some of the interesting architectural details. Going to post them here and then get back to unpacking. : )

Under stair storage closet.  The woodwork in this place is quite fabulous.

Bedroom doorknob

Closet hardware

That wall was patched and painted prior to our moving in. It is now quite a lovely stairwell. 

Garage mandoor hardware.  Can you tell I am a sucker for old hardware? Just something so intriguing about it. I like to imagine the person who made it, probably by hand or at a very small factory in those days following the Civil War. There is a house three doors down the street that has no door knobs but only lift-up latches because the man who had it built was a Civil War soldier who came home and lost both of his arms in an "exhuberant, post war celebration" (which most definitely must have contained fireworks). Can you imagine coming home well and healthy only to blow off both of your arms celebrating your homecoming? 

An Amish buggy that is sometimes parked in our carport. The man who drives it is the maintenance man for the Historical Society whose grounds are in our back yard. Right now his horse is lame so someone drives him in a blue pick up. 

Hope you enjoyed the photos! Time for me to get back to the boxes. 

God bless,

Rebecca

Yarn Along

I have been working on a Milo Vest for Tess using Georgie Hallam's pattern.  The Plymouth Superwash Merino is so soft and nice to work with. I haven't been knitting nearly as much as I'd like because we are moving from the outlying township into the village, right off the town square.  I have been packing and picking out paint and appliances which is plenty fun but I miss having quiet knitting time. We will be moving into a large, historic house that was built in 1870. It should be fun to live there, in the midst of the village. There will be sidewalks for the girls to ride their bikes and scooters. And did I mention a coffee shop, library, antique shops and small town hardware store within walking distance? :)

When I can catch a few minutes, I've been reading A Child's Garden and The Family Kitchen Garden.  I'm looking forward to planting some perennnial beds, including a tea garden. I will miss the house in the woods (and especially all of the hummingbirds) but I am looking forward to our new adventure!  

I'm knitting the Milo vest in a larger size than needed in hopes that I actually complete it while she can still wear it. 

Sorry that all of my photos are taken in front of this same window, on this same place on the table. The current house is dark inside because it is surrounded by trees.  There is only a small amount natural light on the main floor of the house so all of my pictures seem to be taken there. :)

If you'd like to see more Yarn Along projects, stop over at Ginny's. 

brussel sprouts with bacon

On Superbowl Sunday, I was craving brussel sprouts.  I know, that's kind of a strange thing to crave as it's not really football game fare.  When I ran to the store to pick up the food for the game, I bought some nice brussel sprouts and a package of bacon.  I had read a recipe for brussel sprouts, bacon and juniper berries a few days earlier.  Now, I'm showing my culinary ignorance when I tell you that I don't know what a juniper berry is, nor do I know where to locate one in a grocery store. So, I eliminated them from the recipe. Juniper berries sound like something I might have picked off a bush as a child and my mother would have warned me countlessly not to ingest. 

While the rest of the family was munching on chips and salsa, refried bean dip and other treats, I cooked and ate my bowl of brussel sprouts.  I have to tell you, they were delicious! (I also had some bean dip.) :)

The recipe can be found in Tender: A Cook and His Vegetable Patch by Nigel Slater. 

giveaway winner

The winner of a copy of An Everlasting Meal is...JC!

Congratulations to you!  Please email your mailing address to me at agypsycaravan at gmail dot com and I will send the book your way. 

Have a great weekend everyone!

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

More entries at Soulemama's.

redwork love

One thing that was an adjustment for me when we moved to the country two years ago was the lack of thrift stores.  I was used to living in an inner ring suburb that had many thrift shops. I love to go wandering around a Goodwill to find vintage linens, handknit baby sweaters and other treasures.  The positive flip side of moving to the country is that there are a whole lot of antique shops.  We have two or three on our town's square and there is a fabulous one in the neighboring village. 

I purchased an antique Jenny Lind toddler bed for Tess there the other day. It is very sturdy and cost less than one of the plastic race car/princess types that can be found at Walmart. One thing that I've had no trouble finding at any of the local shops is redwork. I am so fond of redwork and I think it looks cheery any time of year. I found a vintage redwork crib-sized quilt a couple of days after I bought the bed. The shop owner said it was made in the 1930s but it could've been made a few years ago.  It is in wonderful condition and is not threadbare or stained in any way.  I am pretty excited about the pair! 

Here's a closeup of some of the quilt squares.

Here are a couple of vintage redwork, cross-stitched table runners that I've picked up over the years. I can hear my mother's voice in my head telling me that I should have ironed these before posting photos. :)

One wonderful book of redwork patterns is called Redwork from the Workbasket. It is a compilation of patterns from the crafting magazine The Workbasket, which boasts a sixty year history. I am working on a pattern for a pillow that reads "Sweet Dreams".  I'll post photos as I progress.  :) There are so many nice pattern books and many, many free patterns to be found online for people interested in redwork or embroidery in general. 

Do you do redwork embroidery? What are some of your favorite sources for patterns? 

Thank you for visiting today!

an everlasting meal and a giveaway

I've been enjoying a wonderful cooking book called An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace by Tamar Adler. 

From the dust jacket description:

"Reviving the inspiring message of M. F. K. Fisher’s How to Cook a Wolf— written in 1942 during wartime shortages—An Everlasting Meal shows that cooking is the path to better eating.

Through the insightful essays in An Everlasting Meal, Tamar Adler issues a rallying cry to home cooks.

In chapters about boiling water, cooking eggs and beans, and summoning respectable meals from empty cupboards, Tamar weaves philosophy and instruction into approachable lessons on instinctive cooking. Tamar shows how to make the most of everything you buy, demonstrating what the world’s great chefs know: that great meals rely on the bones and peels and ends of meals before them.

She explains how to smarten up simple food and gives advice for fixing dishes gone awry. She recommends turning to neglected onions, celery, and potatoes for inexpensive meals that taste full of fresh vegetables, and cooking meat and fish resourcefully.

By wresting cooking from doctrine and doldrums, Tamar encourages readers to begin from wherever they are, with whatever they have. An Everlasting Meal is elegant testimony to the value of cooking and an empowering, indispensable tool for eaters today."

(That'd be my smudgy, olive oil covered fingerprint on the cover. :)

What I love most about this book is, that while it is most definitely a cookbook full of recipes, it is written as a series of comfortable, narrative essays. Hearing Adler's voice through her writing is similar to being taught to cook by one's mother or grandmother in a gentle, conversational, no-nonsense way.  

In the author's words, "This book contains what I know of boiling and cooking eggs.  It contains my strategies for cooking vegetables and meat, which rely on the fortuitous truth that both are best bought whole and cooked ahead, and the ways I have of making each earn its keep.  It doesn't contain "perfect" or "professional" ways to do anything, because we don't need to be professionals to cook well, any more than we need to be doctors to treat bruises and scrapes: we don't need to shop like chefs or cook like chefs; we need to shop and cook like people learning to cook, like what we are--people who are hungry."

An Everlasting Meal reminds us that much can be done with little, that many meals can be squeaked out of the stems, roots and leaves of vegetables.  For more flavor, we can add some meat and a little bit of bread. While the book teaches frugality and economy in using what is available, it does not scrimp on taste. The recipes are simple yet delicious and earthy. I made a most simple pot of boiled broccoli last night as a sidedish and it tasted so much more delicious than usual, following Tamar's suggestions. 

Because I've enjoyed this book ever so much, I'd like to give away a copy.   :)

Leave a message in the comment section to be included in the drawing.  Also, if you'd like, tell us about your favorite comfort food from your childhood (or adulthood for that matter). 

I will pull a name from the comments on Friday evening.    Thanks for visiting!

winter knitting

I love to knit in January and February. The pressure to complete a project before Christmas has passed and the weather allows me to sit down on the sofa for a bit each day. Usually, a couple of little people snuggle up next to me or on my lap while I knit which makes the knitting a little more difficult but a much toastier experience. 

I have been reading Kate's blog for some time.  She has a whole slew of fabulous and affordable patterns.  I recently purchased both Owls and Owlet. I think the button eyes on the owls are so cute!  I've not yet started the adult version but have the children's Owlet on the needles for little Tess.   I allowed her to choose her yarn colorway from Knitpicks. She pointed her chubby little dimpled finger at the screen and chose Damson Plum which really looks more like the Blackberry colorway in real life. It is much deeper than the appearance of the photo on Knitpicks' site. I love the Swish Bulky because it is a superwash Merino--one of the softest I've felt.  It knits up so nicely and feels great in my hands. I haven't gotten to the owl cable on the sweater yet, a couple of inches to go before I begin that part.  I have never done any cable work before but am looking forward to creating those sweet little owls!

I read quite a few good reviews about the Harmony Wood interchangeable circular needles before I purchased a set for myself.  They're smooth and beautifully crafted.  There isn't a rough spot to be found and the connections to the cables is almost seamless.  Knitting with them has been a pleasure. Plus they are just so darn pretty!

I also recently bought Georgie Hallam's Milo vest pattern. I am making one both for Annie and Tess. I bought Plymouth DK Superwash Merino for Tess'.  There is no color name on the label but rather a number.  The shade reminds me of a spring strawberry so that is what I'm naming it--Spring Strawberry. 

(Nevermind the wrinkled tablecloth, ok?)

The Milo vest has a small strip of cable down the front of the vest.  There are several cable pattern options included but I'm not sure which to use as of yet. I want to try my hand at making a tiny vest for Tess before attempting Annie's in the larger size.  I'm kind of excited to be knitting two patterns with cable.  It's a new frontier for me. :)

{Side note: little Tess' real name is Teresa Mae.  I usually call her Mae. So if I slip and call her that, don't think we had another child and you missed the announcement. :) My maternal great grandmother's name was Anna Mae, which is why Tess has that middle name.  Anna Mae insisted on being called Annabelle, even by her children and grandchildren. Apparently, she also dyed her hair black until she was in her eighties.  I do not know much more about her, except that she had a farm, lived in the country and liked to crochet.  In fact, she was the one who crafted The Pink Pillow that was eventually handed down to her daughter, my grandma, and then eventually ended up in my home.}

My Mary is growing to be a young lady and is almost out of children's sized clothing.  I am looking forward to that transition because the older girls' department is much more difficult to shop than the ladies' section.  I intended to make a Milo vest for her as well but the pattern is only up to a size 6.  If any of you know of a similar ladies' sized pattern, please let me know. 

I hope you are all well and staying warm.

Love, Rebecca

holgate toys

I was at a loss as to what to buy for little Tess last Christmas. I wanted to buy her a few, excellent quality toys that would stand the test of time so I searched for some nice gifts online.  I had never heard of Holgate Toys until that day but they have fast become one of my favorite companies.  I purchased the colored wooden stacking rings  and Classic Bingo Bed (wooden hammer and peg toy). Both arrived promptly, are well packaged and of wonderful quality.  They are sanded smooth and painted attractively. The best part is that they are made here in the United States! Even my bigger children took a turn hammering the colorful wooden "nails" just for fun. 

There aren't any paid sponsors on this little blog, but I do like to tell people about quality products and services when I run across them. You might want to check out Holgate Toys if you are looking for well made, American toys. Tess has played with the ring stacker several times a day since Christmas.  I think that's the best "consumer satisfaction". :)

 

swift and ball winder

It has been almost 16 years since I learned to knit.  My firstborn son was just a couple of weeks old when a package arrived for him via UPS.  The UPS driver was always friendly and asked me whether I knew the lady, Chris, on the next street who had also recently had a baby.  I said that I hadn't met her yet.  Within a few days, we exchanged phone numbers via the UPS driver and became friends.  I spent many hours over her house when Ben was a baby.  We sat and nursed our babies and drank tea. She liked to spin and knit.  I liked to watch her. Chris soon asked whether I'd like to learn to knit.  I was so happy to learn and made my first project under her direction--a navy blue merino wool pilot cap for my new baby boy.  

One of my favorite things to do while visiting her was to watch her turn the skeins or hanks of yarn into balls using her yarn swift.  There was something so very Mary Poppins-ish about that umbrella-like yarn swift. I was mesmerized and always wanted to purchase one for myself.  This Christmas, sixteen years later, I did just that.  

My yarn swift arrived the other day. I am really pleased with the quality. I was concerned it might be poorly made since it was much less expensive than other swifts I've priced.  Quite the opposite.  It is sturdy, well-made and pleasant to look at. I ordered it from Knitpicks. We've had such fun using it!

I also purchased the yarn baller from the same company.  It works wonderfully and is highly addictive to use. Everyone in the family has tried their hand at winding the yarn into balls.  

The simple, useful, old fashioned things always bring my family so much happiness. Now that all of my yarn is ready to knit, I need to get going on my knitting projects! I have a little something in the works for baby Tess. More on that later. 

I hope you all are staying warm and enjoying the winter months with your families. Love, Rebecca