Chicks!

We have chicks!  Since well before we moved to the farm, I've been dreaming of having fresh, and pretty, eggs.  Even though I've read two books about chickens I have to say that I am going into this with lots of questions and uncertainty.  While everyone says they are easy to care for, it seems to me to be rather complicated and confusing.  However, I'm hoping that the actual keeping of them will start to make sense as we do it.

Friday afternoon we picked up our chicks and so far so good.  We are keeping them under a heat lamp in the basement where the boiler is still running because, you know, it's still winter.  Several people have told me to be sure to pick them up and handle them frequently so the children and I are trying to do that daily.  You guys, they are so cute!

(taken on one of the two warm days we've had)

Harris and Grace are naming them but only as names come to them.  So far, Harris has named one Chewbawka and Grace has named another two Ms. March and Jo March (from Little Women).

We got three different varieties and six chicks total.  We have Black Giants, Americauna and Light Brahmas.  Wish us luck!

Telluride, Colorado

Last week, we took a break from school, renovation and dreary weather for a ski trip to Telluride.  We had never been and it was such a treat.  The weather was beautiful (it may have been chilly but the sun made up for it!), snow conditions were good despite lack of snow early in the season and it was really, really good family time.

only in Colorado (ok, the southwestern states) does my hair ever look this flat!

Telluride was such a charming town.  The people were friendly, the food good and the views spectacular.

We all took a lesson the first day which really helped us all.  In fact, Harris who left skiing and took up snowboarding a few years ago, made incredible progress and just might have surpassed us all- at least in the going fast category!

I had read that Telluride was known for its steep slopes but boy were they intimidating to me!  We were told by several people that what might usually, on any other mountain, be a black was a blue at Telluride.  We skied mostly blues but Bryce and the children did do some blacks.  I, on the other hand, stuck with blues!

Our favorite lunch was at Alpino Vino, which is only accessible on See Forever run.

We stayed in Mountain Village (many thanks to a blogging friend, Leah, for all the incredible suggestions!) which was only a gondola ride away from downtown Telluride.

On one of our very last runs of the trip, Harris caught a back edge on slushy snow, wiped out and cracked his helmet!  Thank goodness the helmet did its job!

Our last full day we rented bikes, with fat tires for riding through snow, and biked the river path.  It was fun but a little dicey as it had mud and ice.  I might have fallen off of my bike a time or two...

Around Here

It's still winter here.  As in it's really, really still winter here.  There's a cold wind blowing, snow on the ground, we seem to have a storm once a week and I feel like Harris never, ever goes to school.

The biggest thing we've had going on is something that I haven't written about.  We had something so odd, jarring, sad and strange happen that we are still processing it.  A week before Christmas, Harris' beloved teacher, came into work, left at 11:30 and hasn't been back since.  Whatever happened is super top secret but it has really and truly thrown us all for a loop (at Waldorf, teachers stay with the class year after year so the children are very close to their teacher).  Teacher's simply don't just disappear, except that he did.  So Harris has had a substitute and will continue to have a substitute for the rest of the year and a new teacher next year.  Such a bummer.

February didn't see much snow at all but March sure has come in like a lion.  We've enjoyed the snow but not the snow shoveling.  Unfortunately, the snow caused Bryce's guys sailing trip to be delayed by two days.  He decided to go anyway and was so glad he did, even though we were insanely jealous!

The renovation is still not done.  It's getting closer but not yet done.  I'm in the process of deciding on fabrics and finishes and I'm finding it overwhelming especially since I"m not a designer and don't have access to some of the fabric/lines that I love.

I bought lots and lots of seeds to plant a small part of the field with.  We are starting really, really small and hoping to offer market bouquets at a road side honor stand this summer.

Sugaring

About a month ago I got a bee in my bonnet that we needed to tap our 21 maple trees (they are all in a row as if someone planted for nursery stock and never moved/sold them).  So I bought a book, really rather more of a pamphlet, some buckets and spigots and we got to tapping!

The only problem?  I was really, really not prepared for the amount of sap that we would get.  It turns out that our trees are wonderful producers and our two stock pots that I thought would be sufficient for evaporating down the sap, weren't.  

On day three, we finally got to a system that was much more productive but still required constant maintenance.

Turns out that having the proper equipment really is important.  Next year, we will be prepared with sugaring pans and tools because we are hooked.  How could you not be when you get these beauties from your own backyard?

We had a sugaring celebration where we had these darling dutch pancakes for dinner.  Of course, we drizzled our very own syrup on top of them!

Sweet Sixteen

Grace didn't really want a large sweet sixteen party but opted for a family (with friends that are like family too) party to celebrate.  We had dinner and cake together and I think it was a special evening for Grace.

Funny story about the cake we made Grace. When she was a baby, I spotted this cake (a much more elaborate version) in Martha Stewart Weddings and thought it would be a cute nod to sweet sixteen.  I've kept it mind this whole time and sure enough Grace was willing to let that be her cake!  I think it was so sweet and appropriate for 16.  I love the little jelly bean hearts at the top!

We love you Grace and hope that all your wishes and dreams come true!

16

Grace turns 16 today.  In most states that means she could drive but here she will have to wait another year to be let loose on the roads!  I'm actually rather thankful for that as I'm not sure I"m ready for her to be driving on our twisty, narrow roads.

Grace is such a treasure and we feel so blessed that she is our girl.  She's smart, kind and a little feisty.  Here's what's going on with her right now...

1.  She's a rule follower.  She likes to be on time, have a plan, and to stick to it (it must be so hard for her to live with Bryce and I :))!  When we are supposed to pick her up she will text us the time and then confirm it at least once!

2.  She's a hard worker at school.  Grace is taking 3 honors classes this year and, for now, is making straight A's!  We are proud of how hard she works and how good she is with time management.

3.  She's a little afraid that there's not a boy out there that is nice, interesting, and a little old fashioned (cute wouldn't hurt either!).  I hope she believes me when I tell her there is.

4.  I wouldn't say that Grace is having what one might think of as a typical teenage experience (yet?). She isn't super social outside of school even though she has a nice group of girls that she's good friends with.  For example, she did not want a big sweet sixteen party, instead opting for a family party at home.  She still likes to hang with her family and you won't hear me complaining.

5.  Right now she's really interested in: skiing, skincare, traveling, writing and she's starting to pay more and more attention to world events and politics.

6.  She has just started a job at a cafe in town.  I think it will be so good for her on many levels!

7.  She's still taking a ballet class twice a week.

8.  She loves to bake!  We all love it when she decides to whip up a batch of cookies.  I love that I can now put her in charge of dessert.

9.  She loves music of all sorts but has a remarkable affinity for 80's music!

10.  She loves the tv show Castle.  She and her Grandma watch it together.

Phase 3 Renovation Update

We are still under renovation.  While someone is here every single day and certainly things are happening, it feels as if it is moving super slowly.  However, our bathroom is nearing completion and should be done in the next month.

The original floors have been put back (many planks had to be moved to make room for plumbing), sanded and finished (no stain).  I love how they turned out!  We also made the choice to put pine planks in the closet and I find it so interesting how different they look.  In this case, I think older is better!

unfinished

For the shower tile we went with a classic subway tile.  It is called antique green but definitely reads neutral.  I wanted something that was earthy and complimented the brick fireplace surround and the pumpkin pine floors.

And... that's it!  It seems like there should be way more of an update but that's all there is to show.  Hopefully, my next post about the bathroom will be that it is finished!