Rachael Eliker's Blog, page 62

Boil, Boil, Boil

Licking out the bowls after we have a finished product.I confess, I'm not a fan of winter, or at least the end of it. It's been cold, dreary and grey a little too long for my liking and by the time it does start to thaw, the mud is incredibly obnoxious. There is a silver lining though and that's maple syrup season. Look at the sap flow!This year, we were a little more prepared to collect sap. I saved milk jugs and Jack had marked all the usable maple trees before the leaves fell off so we'd kn...

Momcation

Driving the winding cowpaths of Indiana's back roads.Every mother needs to get away once in a while for a momcation. While most go to the spa, go on shopping sprees and if they're really lucky, go on cruises to exotic destinations with a bunch of mom-friends, I don't like being away too long and with our little homestead to run, I have to be a little more practical.
I went to pick up hay. One last chore with our trusty truck before we sold it and got a commuter car for Jack.The time alone...

Once There Was A Snowman

It was only a few weeks ago that we were celebrating Valentine's Day with a massive chocolate party while it snowed furiously outside. Though our winter's been relatively mild, the snow we received was heavy and wet and perfect for building snowmen. Teamwork.The girls bundled up and headed outside for some teamwork building exercise as together they rolled massive, leaf-covered snowballs that zigzagged across the yard. Henry and I hung out inside near the warm wood-burning stove. Henry's h...

Bubbles

That's a pretty good bubble!The girls went to a birthday party the other day and each received a bubble wand for a party favor (thanks for sharing Tessa!). With some practice, Kate has mastered blowing bubbles, after trying until she was lightheaded (never let it be said Kate is not determined).
Deep breath...Ready...set... Go!!!Blowing bubbles
She has bonafide tuba playing lungs.(She gets those from me).

Bather

It seems like just yesterday that bright-eyed baby Kate was being washed in the sink by her doting big sisters. Now she's all grown up and she gets to help with her baby brother.

The bathee has become the bather.

Henry's Savings

Everyone has a piggy bank for their coins, too!A few Saturdays ago, we were near our bank and decided to cross off the goal of opening a savings account for Henry. A few hours (yes, hours!!) later, we were able to cross that off our 2016 list.

Phew!
Another (time-consuming-albeit-"easy") goal crossed off the list!

Motherhood Bootcamp

Henry's a lightweight compared to a sousaphone.A neighbor spotted us outside rounding up the maple sap while the girls played and Henry rode in our trusty old hiking backpack. We chatted for a bit and he asked if Henry got heavy quickly. I chuckled and told him no.
Compared to the fifty-ish pound sousaphone I toted around through high school and college, Henry's a featherweight. Turns out marching band was a sort of motherhood boot camp and having played such a hefty instrument, it's made...

Kitty Cat Playground

One of the things I love about our strange old house is the deck. It's so spacious and offers a wonderful place to grill out, overlook the horses, watch the sun set, or to play on a rainy day. It turns out, the cats also feel the same way. They laze around in the sun and hop onto the windows to watch and see what we're doing, occasionally even dragging a "prize" or two for us up there (I've stepped outside to find many-a-dead critters, thanks to our little tiger wannabes).
Kitty playground.

Her...

Miracles

Do you believe in miracles? We do! Now we can watch movies alllllllll the time.
(Just kidding!. It'll only be used on long road trips, but boy, is that a nice feature!)Getting new vehicles have been on our mind lately. Both the van and the truck have been, shall we say, well-loved? They've been good farm and family cars, but we'd put enough miles and hard labor into them that they began to leak and groan and rust. Plus, it doesn't make sense for Jack to drive the big, less fuel efficient t...

Half a Million

Just over half a million pageviews!Last year, we had our first goal crossed off our list within days of the New Year. It's not that I'm slacking, but crossing off goals this year hasn't been in rapid succession just yet. I was hoping to do a few races late winter/early spring, but I'm still recuperating from a torn calf muscle, I'm writing a new novel, but not as fast as I'd like and I tried making yogurt, but it turned out as an inedible, goopy slop. But, one goal that happened without me no...