I feel like I’ve been a rather distant blogger lately. My head has lots of half composed posts but my brain is a bit foggy these days. Actually it’s not limited to blogging – I’ve been baking cookies with half the flour, misjudging my present…er…girth bringing injury (or at least annoyance) to myself and my family, making grocery lists for Dan that are missing half the required grocery items, letting my smaller children live in pyjamas and leaving half finished sentences hanging in the air around me.

And while my brain is somewhat mushy I’m deep into nesting mode. Finding walls and baseboards that suddenly need washing. Continuing to can and bake bread like a mad woman. Organizing and reorganizing dressers and closets. Making endlessly hopeful knitting plans – taking my gentle hobby into the arena of extreme sport.

For goodness sake I realized I’ve scrubbed the floor three times this week.

Before anyone gives me heck…I’m resting lots in between the spurts of activity because I am so so tired. Unfortunately I’ve moved past the sleepy tired into the overactive headspace tired so my rest time seems to be divided between list making and list checking along the lines of:

• scrub floor √
• vacuum √
• clean bathroom √
• laundry √
• scrub floor
• vacuum
• clean bathroom
• laundry

Kind of defeating in a way, no?

But really none of that matters. It’s just keeping me busy while I get even more excited to hold this little one in my arms. Explore tiny fingers and toes. Nibble sweet ears with endless kisses. It will be good.

So while I consider how many appendages this child really has (my current guess is at least 8 ) and try to avoid the grumps (not doing too well on that front lately), I’m remembering how very thankful I am for this life I’ve been given.

Such a full life.

(Sharing photos that were taken around my in-laws property during our visit last month.)

These past few days and weekend have found us settling back into a rhythm at home – which admittedly doesn’t always have much continuity to it but it works.

Dan has been working considerably harder than I have getting some things taken care of around the house. After being away we always come back and start noticing the little projects we’d forgotten about. Along with projects inside, he’s been hacking away at the jungle outside so that now the yard and garden are recognizable again.

We’ve had a few casualties in the garden but for the most part everything looks great. We enjoyed our first garden salad over the weekend with a few baby beets and carrots that were thinned – it was very exciting.

We have quite a late growing season here but hopefully in a few weeks we’ll be enjoying peas and beans along with more lettuce. This is such a first for us that it’s all somewhat of a guess. Dan’s been a little disappointed to realize that all his hard work is not likely to yield enough to go far amongst our growing family but I’m impressed with what he’s managed in our small space.

Brussels sprouts are one of our most anticipated veggies.

The kids can easily devour half a head of purple cabbage as a snack so we’re hoping this works out for us.

Sarah will not be convinced to let the peas grow a little bigger before she starts eating them.

The potato blossoms are lovely.

Any suggestions on when we are supposed to harvest this?

We are so excited for carrots!

Dan’s pride and joy – corn (growing with some lettuce).

While Dan has been busy with his projects I’ve been thinking about what needs to be done in the next weeks before the little bean arrives. My plans for baking and freezing bread were a bit daunted when we returned to hotter weather than expected but the last few days have been cooler allowing me to get quite a few loaves in the freezer with plans for more as long as the weather stays cool. I’ve also been busy making jam with our market spoils this week. I’ll have more to share about that later in the week.

For now bedtime approaches and kitchen clean-up calls. Hope you’ve all enjoyed a wonderful start to another week! Thanks always for your kind words and encouragement – I’m so blessed by the community that has found me here!

With hearts aching and eyes damp we said goodbye to grandparents, vacation and the ocean.

It was a long day but we managed to get in the door just before the clock struck twelve.

Here are some impressions.

:: An eldest’s request that we forgo the fast route for the detour through Vancouver (which is what us adults really wanted in our heart of hearts).

:: Liam asking in Vancouver if we were in Calgary yet. When he was told no, he requested an appetizer.

:: Amalia announcing when she turns 16 she will buy her own van, listen to ABBA and drink chocolate milk.

;; Revisiting, albeit from a moving vehicle, some of our favourite spots in a most beloved city.

:: Sarah singing, One of Us is Crying – just that one lyric over and over.

:: Simon removing shoes and socks for his blanket and trucks kiss his toes.

:: Dan’s frustration with drivers who do not follow, “Keep Right Except to Pass” and teenagers who throw footballs at the van.

:: A cappella singing of many ABBA songs with various true and made up lyrics.

:: Liam asking every few minutes when we would get to the tunnels then at every approach feigning quiet reading until we entered at which point he’d exclaim, “Who turned out the lights?”

:: Peanut butter cookies that bought peace at an opportune moment.

:: My delight at finding fresh local cherries at a quick stop for much cheaper than we’d pay at home.

:: The elderly woman who gave up her bathroom stall for a rather desperate Sarah.

:: Discovering I’m much more pregnant than I was three weeks and my bladder has much less room.

:: Sarah announcing three-quarters of the way home that she wanted to go back to Grandpa Jay’s house now.

:: Beginning and ending out trip listening to this album and this favourite song in particular.

:: Everyone settling in to sleep in their own familiar beds in their own familiar room in their own familiar home – even while those hearts were still rather tender.

*I would also like to point out how many of these impressions were inspired by ABBA. I do not enjoy ABBA, my children cannot get enough. It’s becoming a problem.

Happy weekending friends!

As hoped we made it to the local dairy for a visit with the animals.

The main draw of our visits is always a chance for the kids to test their hands at milking. We time our visit accordingly and arrived just in the time for the late afternoon milking.

Amalia had last minute cold feet (“I don’t like milk so why would I touch it from a cow?”) but Elizabeth is always eager to get in there. I tried milking during our last visit and it was a lot of fun. I’d always been curious what it would be like and it was just as I’d imagined.

I’ve mentioned before how we dream of homesteading, growing our own food and living a more sustainable life. We enjoy these visits as an opportunity to take closer look at what that reality means and explore what we imagine it to mean for us. We usually walk away repeating our desire to stick to growing food not raising livestock (apart from some laying hens) but then we wonder…maybe a couple of sheep…or a sweet jersey cow? But that is then and this is now…for now we enjoy practicing our green thumbs in our veggie garden and visiting the animals at the dairy farm.

Just look at that sweet tail.

This sweet little calf was so precious.

We watched the cows wander back to their field from the milking barn.

But in this cage was where the small people had the most fun…

…visiting the very understanding rabbits.

They were thrilled when they took the offered grass.

And squealed with delight when they nibbled at little fingers.

Maybe that someday farm of ours will have to include some rabbits.

I love the ocean. I long for it. I dream about it. I imagine the smell, the sounds, the taste and the feel of it when I am far away.

I grew up near the ocean. Summer vacations were spent there. Long weekends often included a drive along the shore. Many trips were made across the small strip of it between Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island when we visited my grandmother.

Now I live in Alberta. It feels very far away from the ocean. My ocean.

And as much as my home is most certainly wherever this family is together, returning to the ocean always feels like coming home.

It has been six long years since I visited my east coast home. I am thankful, though, that my in-laws have relocated to the west coast (a little more within reach than the east coast) giving us an ocean destination to visit.

It’s wonderful to breathe it in. Feel it beneath my feet. Explore its endless wonders and mysteries.

We’ve loved the opportunities to dig in, get dirty and soak it all up.

And someday I hope to have a permanent home near the ocean.

One where we can kick off our shoes and enjoy many long days adventuring.

Do you have a home away from home? Somewhere that always calls you back? Or are you settled in your heart’s home?