Summer Outings

We have had a very busy couple of weeks.   My husband and I took two of our kidlets down to Michigan to visit friends who are building an earth sheltered home.
We visited the site where they are building and it is so cool!!  The day we were there they were putting on the shot-crete for the basement.

Please check out their website  homeintheearth.com .  You will find videos and so much interesting info there!
We also visited my favourite old time village,  Greenfield Village attached to the Ford Museum.  Have you been there?  If not, it is so worth the trip!

This house was brought there from Ohio, and has people in period garb to speak to you about their traditions and how the farm worked.

                                My daughter looking out at the sheep while on the steam train.

                    Old time baseball game played with the original rules, and attire- no baseball gloves!

                                                    Baseball game accompanied by a band!

                                                        Oldest windmill in United States

                                                   Clock tower in honour of Sir John Bennett

                              One of eleven laboratories used by Thomas Edison, all at the village

Glass blowing 

So that is a tidbit of what you will see there at Greenfield Village.  Such fun!

Then on Sunday we went to the Nascar race at Michigan International Speedway.Girls had a blast and we will  definitely take them again.  

School starts again next week, so our routine is about to get back to normal, minus one teen as she is off to college.         

Changing Things Up

Yesterday was a quiet day around here.  I didn't have to go to work, my kids were in VBS for the morning, and I felt like I needed to change up my house.  Do you ever get into a rut with your furniture? I DO!!   When you decide to have five kids, you basically decide to give up brand new anything  until they are fairly grown. So I make do with the furniture we have, and am grateful that we are so well provided for by my hubby who works hard for us.
Now and then I feel claustrophobic and that our home is in need of a good decluttering. Yesterday was one of those days.  Just by moving around the pictures on the walls and getting rid of some things that I liked but not loved, what a difference!  I felt like I was creating a new space and looked forward to the kids coming home and being surprised.  Such fun!  My kids did come in and notice things straight away, then they walked all the way through the house to find what was different, and give me their opinions on what I had done. The general consensus  was I had done a good job:)
Next week we are moving around the dining room, nobody knows it yet but me...( insert evil laugh here)
I am going back to work September 2,  after a lovely summer break.  In January this year I decided I would like to learn to drive bus, as I enjoy driving, have a perfect record and liked the hours that go with bus driving. I discovered that I truly  LOVE to drive my bus!!  I miss it, and look forward to doing it again.  However, I am not missing the early mornings, I have to be up at 5 to prepare for work, do my paperwork and pre-trip... I don't mind getting up after 6 am but I find 5 a bit difficult some mornings.  I am working so we can work toward our dream of owning a homestead.  I would get up at 5 every day of my life if I was guaranteed a homestead!!!
We are going on a mini  vacay to Michigan, we weren't sure we were going til the kids passports arrived yesterday.
We have friends that are building a home in the earth.  I grew up with S., who is a rocket scientist and works for a firm in Michigan.  S., designed and is building his home with his lovely wife and as much friend power as they can swing!  He has a website it is www.homeintheearth.com .  I love checking in every couple of days to see what they have been up to and how far they have come with the building.  My husband has gone down for a long weekend to give a hand .
We are heading down so my husband can work with S., and I can visit, and the kids we bring can hang with their kiddos.  Some of my kids are working/summer school etc so  we have someone staying with them and the dog:)  We are definitely hitting  Ford Museum's  Greenfield Village, as I LOVE it there. If you get the chance you have to go, well organized, beautifully kept, knowledgeable staff, cannot say enough about it!I have included the link so you can see what I am talking about, it is just fantastic!http://www.thehenryford.org/village/index.aspx
 I am now off the pack and prep...

Learning to Blog

I hope this post finds you well and enjoying the summer so far.  I decided to give blogging a shot  and I seriously had no idea that it would mean learning so much or be so much fun.  I figured that you set up a background, and font, then start writing.   This is only partially true.   I did pick a pretty background, my font works for me... I have lots that I could and will chat about, but there are so many things I would like to add to my blog that I need to learn about, such as a recipe box, links to other blog I totally love, you know things I would like to share.
 However, I am apparently blog impaired as I am having a  seriously hard time learning how to do these simple things.  Sad as I usually find this kind of stuff easy and very logical.
So eventually you will be able to find the pizza recipe that I found that is fabulous, or a way to preserve plums, I am so looking forward to being able to save all of those things!!
I wonder how many people out there have things that they could share but don,t think they have what it takes to communicate it to others.
Okay, that is my little spiel about blogging and my inability to learn something new... now onto a more interesting topic.
My garden is doing well and we had the first of my yellow beans tonight:)  I feel so relaxed when I am in my veg garden, there is not another place on the planet that makes me feel that good save my bathtub (I love a good soak.)
We have dreams of owning our own little homestead, and when we do I will have a large plot of land, and be able to plant enough food for our family, families in need that we may know and help with the local soup kitchen...
I am heading off to bed to dream of our little homestead:)

Summer Fun

This week has been busy. My girls and I went to the local berry farm to pick up some blueberries for jam making.  While there I found that raspberries were still in season as well as yellow beans.  My daughter N. found a beautiful bunch of gladiolas that needed to come home with us as well.  All in all I felt like we hit a home run in the organic food department.

We came home and I immediately starting making jam and blanching the beans.  I am totally in my element  when I am making jam... I truly love it!
What is summer without baseball?  My daughter N. is playing softball this year, and we are having such fun watching her games!  This has been a good year for her as she has learned a lot and met new friends.  N., is one of two girls on her team.
Also my gardens are coming along beautifully.Blackberries are in.  We have tomatoes, cherry and beefsteak, cucumbers, zucchini, and beans coming in.  Nothing is quite ready yet but in the next two weeks we will be inundated with produce!