While We Were Away...

the Littles stayed with Aunt Susanne, Uncle Blair and Cousin Lollie. They were tenderly loved and cared for, and I didn't worry for a minute that everything was covered for my three Littles: from school schedules and homework to bedtime fears and odd sleeping patterns. 

And I got some sweet updates as to what they were up to while Tim and I were on a wee holiday. The Goo got to see Great Grandma's fishies and enjoyed the companionship of Bentley while playing tools.

The Little Girls took a bath in the Jacuzzi tub and got play sleepover in Lollie's room. They went to pizza and frozen yogurt, to Combellack's on Main and to Lollie's work too. When I asked them each their favorite thing about staying at Aunt Susanne's they said,
Goo: "Reow." (Arthur the cat)
Ivy: "Being with Lollie."
Savannah: "When Zuzanne took us to see her chickens and showed us her Black Silkie. That was the best."

Thank you Susanne, Blair and Laura for loving on My Littles, providing such a warm and homey environment for them and for spending quality time with each of them. I am delighted they will never forget the time they spent with you these last few days, my heart is so happy. Thank you.

A Little Trip.

Tim and I, Jared and Jenny are in...

!!!!

Okay, so I really wanted this to be the iconic Vegas sign but it's just a shop in this mall area attached to our hotel/casino. Las Vegas is so strange for me. After lunch I asked the waitress how to get outside and she said, "Outside the restaurant?" And I answered, "No outside, outside." She asked "Outside the mall into the casino?" And I said, "NO. Outside into the fresh air." She asked, "Why, do you need to smoke?" Me, irritated and suddenly feeling like the walls are closing in, "No. I need to be outdoors." She then gave me a very complicated set of directions that led me into a covered parking garage. Hmm...

We did something so fun tonight. We are here for a flooring convention for our store. Our friend Nathan is here from Tennessee for a furniture convention for his store. We met up, it was a grand time. Jared and I grew up with Nathan and his sister Jen, our moms were best friends. His family moved across the country when we were young and we have seen each other only a handful of times. But true old friends, you just catch up from where you've left off, you know? It was easy and lovely. I saw Nate 8 years ago, for Jared it's been 21 years. 

Breathe.

Tim is home from Arizona, yay!

Savannah is on the mend, fewf!

Goo is sick and cranky, Boo!

Ivy is afraid of EVERYTHING after dusk (but her sweetness makes up for her crazy), eek!

And I, I am ready to go for a long run, ahhh...

I am so happy the weekend is here. Looking forward to; working on the new garden, taking out the old garden, getting real familiar with this Hut's rich dirt, ordering seeds and helping My Littles to feel like themselves again.
I hope you get just as much relaxing in as you do chores these next two days, Hutters. 

The Trenches.

Savannah Jane spent the long weekend sick, sick, sick. Tim has been out of town, so I'm on Mommy-duty, Nurse-duty and any other duty there is (I'm going to need a good long run when he gets home!).

We've been camped out on the couch for a couple days, The Littles and I, watching Netflix movies and eating poached eggs with buttered toast.

This is yesterday's worst, but today she was looking on the mend. Tonight she was swinging on the play set and cuddling My Lovelies. "Fewf" (how savannah sighs with relief), so happy she is her happy self once again.

Huh.

"Ivy will be a ballerina."

I was inspired to see this poster made by Ivy's teacher at the beginning of the school year. Today I think Ivy's dream has taken a different turn. Both The Little Girls have decided to stop going to ballet school. I am disappointed because I want this for them; the discipline, posture, flexibility, grace, stamina and exercise. But they don't want to go to ballet school. They want to be little, to play and be free after school. This makes my life so much easier, I won't be driving them to classes two times a week. Still, I feel a little sad about it.

In other news, I've been working hard on the acre by clearing and planting. I've planted 2 ollalieberries, 1 marionberry and 3 other thorn-less berries. I am excited about the future harvests of The Honey Hut.

And Savannah has a skin staph infection. It's not fun. She is fine, nothing severe. But it has been a bit of a guessing game as to what the hell was going on with her. This morning we got educated and have started the process of getting her back to healthy after seeing her pediatrician about her condition. I cannot emphasize how important washing your hands is, Hutters. Do it. A lot. Okay? Have a great weekend.  





Right Now.



This photo was taken just a moment ago. The Little Girls sitting on the couch paying games while The Goo antagonizes and Pug looks for a cuddle. After putting all Littles to bed, Tim and I are sitting in the living room having a bit of silence. I can hear Littles chattering sweetly down the hall as they work out their last bit of energy. The dishwasher is humming, the washing machine spinning. It is a different type of silence for this house, but it feels quiet to me. Oh...Goo has just come out of bed scared of a "big guy". Tim is walking him down the hall to put him back to bed. Likely a child will end up in bed with us tonight. This nightly occurrence is lovely and dear. I can't think of another place I'd rather be.

This And That.

This might not look like much besides Littles eating Cheez-its outdoors, but these terraced boxes are my future larger garden. Yes, we are taking The Honey Hut up a notch by clearing and planting something other than tomatoes and zucchini. We spent the entire weekend cutting, clearing and burning refuse and talking about backyard farming. We have a little over an acre here at The Hut, plenty of space as long as we can hold back the manzanitas and cedars. I pulled out 30ish cedar saplings to allow our other trees to develop and in the process I've exposed two healthy madrone trees, which are quite lovely. This property has several mature walnut and apple trees, Tim and I only need water and pay attention to.

Today while Goo played in the raked leaves, I took on a new project by digging holes for and planting 5 of my 10 new blueberry bushes. Tomorrow I hope to finish blueberries and start on a special blackberry varietal I am excited about. Outside of the future harvest, the best part about working your own land? The dog-tired sleep at night, sore-all-over-the-next-morning tell-tale signs of an honest day's work in the garden.

Routine.

This week has been weird. The Little Girls are back in school and their daily lives are very scheduled and structured. They've been emotional in the mornings and afternoons in the hours surrounding school. I know they miss holiday break, freedom and being home all day. I miss them terribly too.

Goo has been exceptionally testy, grouchy and all around trouble. The only distraction making him happy is what he calls a "Cane Pop" (candy cane). I only have five left.

Currently Ivy is afraid of the blind witch in Hansel and Gretel, spurring all sorts of nightmares and other wonky fears.

Savannah is desperate for some alone time with me. This was our conversation yesterday after school
Savannah: "Mommy, when you were my age did you ever wish you were an only child?"
Me: "Everyday."
Savannah: "I wish I was an only child."
Me: "Why?"
Savannah: "Because you and Daddy don't have enough time for me."
Me: (hand on guilt-gripped heart) "We'll work on having more time, okay?"
Savannah: "Okay but I still wish it sometimes."

As I type this, Ivy is sleeping next to me and by that I mean mostly on me, perhaps this closeness will keep the blind witch at bay. Tim, Goo and Savannah are camping out in our backpacking tent set up in Grady's room. I'm so happy the weekend is here. No plans, no schedule. Just quality time reconnecting all together, at ease in The Hut.

Family Portrait.

I have finished this year's (or last year's?) family portrait in cross-stitch. I decided to use burlap instead of traditional cross-stitch fabric because it felt more earth-y and rugged, suiting my backyard farm mentality. This particular piece is from an old feed sack I picked up a long time ago somewhere.

I couldn't leave out Pug or My Lovelies.

 Ivy decided she still wanted to be holding a balloon would also like to be holding her Daddy's hand.

Savannah wanted to be holding a balloon also but I went with a gold handbag since she wouldn't be caught leaving The Hut without one.

The Littles are getting bigger, even in cross-stitch.
Now I need to find the perfect thrifted frame and hang it with the others.
2011, 2012.

Shannon Turns 40.

On Saturday we went to a surprise party for my sister Shannon's 40th at the Folsom Ice Skating Rink.
It was such fun to see all our family favorites celebrating her big day.

 The moment she first realized it was her party.

 Then Dee Dee and I took The Little Girls skating.

 Happy Birthday Honey!

Weak Wreckage.

Hello Hutters.

I've been lite on the posting lately due to my desire to cherish these last few days of Holiday Break with The Little Girls. Their constant and uninterrupted presence has been a sweet reminder of time passed before they were old enough to go to school. That being said, I am exhausted and fallen prey to an obnoxious flu bug.

What are you up to this weekend? My sister Shannon has a birthday tomorrow, I am hoping to see her sometime as soon as I am well. I hope to finish my family cross-stitch this weekend but other than that, I will be laying low.
To date, this is my 713th post. So I have a pattern: Once I come clean by audibly making a statement (usually a whispered statement to Tim), I become a self-fulfilled prophecy. Example: "This book is really depressing. I think I might ditch it." Immediate result? Said book is abandoned. The other night I whispered to Tim, "I think I'm sick of my blog." Look, I don't know what this means. I started this journey as a way to document My Littles' lives and also as an alternative to keeping a journal. It's been over 4 years. I don't know what to do besides what I'm doing and quite frankly I don't know what I am doing. The part I struggle with is this: It's lazy. Because I post what is happening in my life, I have lost touch with people I deeply care about who live far way. They check in on me here (I think...) but I don't return the favor unless they have a blog or update regularly on Facebook or Instagram. I am not a phone-talker, and I am an even worse letter-writer. I say all this to share my insecurity, my uncertainty about the future of The Honey Hut. You know already I've fallen off schedule in terms of a regular posting pattern and perhaps you are bored too. Maybe you only check this blog to see how many grammatical errors a person can make in one setting. Anyways, I figured I'd be honest with you, my dear readers, because you have invested time in reading my posts. Today I feel like I never want this blog to end and so I am hopeful.
Whatever it is you are up to this weekend, I hope it is happy and warm.
Love,
Dusty.  

Happy New Year.



Happy New Year Hutters!

Did you make any resolutions? Do you think you'll keep them? I didn't make any absolute resolutions but I did think of some goals for this year.

I'd like to:

Play more.

Yell less.

Finish my family cross-stitch.

Learn a new hobby.

Keep bees.

Write thank you notes.

Go on a road trip up the Pacific Coast.

Sit, be still and quiet for at least 10 minutes everyday (this will be a challenge, but I need it).

Read more books.



Here is my attempt at playing more (the last bit is my favorite...Goo cheering me on).

p.s.
Thank you for your lovely comments here and on facebook about my Mama. I love hearing your memories of her and your encouragement lifted me up. You are so dear, thank you.