a proper introduction

In the craziness of the move I have forgotten to properly introduce you all to the newest member of our family.  Our four legged pooch!  Yes it finally happened!  Meet Adele:

This is the picture we had been staring at for over a month on Pet Finder.  We had our eyes peeled for a young female Bernese Mt. Dog/ Collie mix and well Adele was advertised as just that.  After a very long application, phone interview, and confirmation that we were good humans we were approved for adoption.  This took about 3 weeks.  At which point we were super excited and ready to make the trip north to get our pooch.  Alas after a vet visit it was determined she wasn't spayed and that we would have to wait another 2 weeks before she would be ready....basically a week before we moved to the farm.  Anyways...after much anticipation we finally met and took her home the weekend before we moved and well it seems like she just has always belonged here.

I do not think she has any Bernese in her (but I don't really know for sure) she looks most like an English Shepherd but may just be a mut of colli/aussie/shepherd.  Either way it doesn't really matter.  The vet thinks she is between 1-2, so she is full of energy and has a few puppy-isms.  She is super with the cats, they are more concerned with her than she is with them and she is good with the kids.  She is great off the leash, doesn't exactly know what come or fetch means yet (she just sort of stands there...but doesn't run), is learning basic commands like a pro and an all around great first dog for our family.  

Adele was not named after the super famous British singer but instead the town she was found in - Sainte Adele, Quebec.  She was rescued from a high kill shelter by a Montreal based rescue league, fostered for about a month and a half, and then came to us.  The circumstances under which she ended up in the high kill shelter weren't clear but from what we gathered she had been just picked up as a stray.  Judging by her personality she must have been ditched because she does not leave our side.  I tried my hardest to rename her Sorrel, but we were all pretty stuck on calling her Adele.  And so Adele it is.

To do list

Wow I have so much to do over the next few days I'm not quite sure how it will all ...and since you all love hearing the joys of being a stay at home mom a la caitlyn...here goes list for the day:

-grocery shop and go to the W word store...ugh I can't bring myself to even type it
-put groceries away ...one at a time with screaming baby on the other arm (yup i thought going up a small flight of stairs outside would be no biggy....)
-brush isabelle's teeth...I got a whiff of them in the grocery store...nasty
-lunch & blog (in process....)
-let the chickens out...it's hot!
-unpack a realistic number of boxes...3-4?...yeah your right maybe one
-finish setting up the mud room....definitely the most important considering we are all tracking in loads of soggy earth
-sweep/mop (only if the mud room gets done...)
-work on isabelle's indoor play space
-bake bread
-dinner...hmm grilled meat or vietnamese noodle salad...(i love all the options that only grocery day provides)

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and all of this will may get done in the midst of wiping boogie noses, over using the neti pot (if you have never...you must!), nursing sick baby, entertaining a certain young lady, and playing referee between the dog & cats...

but it is all good right?!  yup i have the best job in the world

the move

Wow...well life has been slightly crazy over here...well no...really crazy that is.  We have been busy with packing, cleaning, unpacking, building a chicken coop, getting a dog to poop where she is supposed to...and well to top it all of we have all been hit with a cold.  FUN!  But that is just the way we like it over here!  I didn't pull out my camera once during the move but was able to sneak out after dinner tonight to capture a few pictures...of course starting with the outside...because that is really my favorite part.... 

the ladies in their work in progress home

the yard is fully equipped with an old school see saw and awesome play gym

our resident horse - Indie

oodles of rhubarb awaiting

a very contented dog

the soon to be garden 

once pig pen...or maybe a pig pen again...what do you think...veggies or pig?

a bath tub big enough for two...

isabelle's room ...with a super sweet loft

sun room

kitchen

There will be plenty more pictures to come...especially when it doesn't look like a bomb went off in the house...

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we got a lot of help from friends and family...I would like to take the time to thank you all especially family who drove in from out of state - Grammy, Ryan, Dylan, and Nana...

thank you thank you thank you!

May day

Happy may day folks! I don't have any good pictures of us dancing around our maypole (yet anyways) but for now here is a picture of the maypole I made for our may day celebration. We had a blast dancing around it while I sang out of tune all the may songs I know. "Here's a branch of snow may... A branch the fairies gave me!!".

She is here!

So after much anticipation the new pooch has arrived. More details and pictures to come... We are having so much fun with our packing distraction!!

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.  Inspired by Soulemama.

the dilemma

So today, after much anticipation, we visited our local Waldorf school.  And well, it was wonderful.  The morning garden & nursery area was so beautiful and full of inspiration.  When we entered they were in the process of making dough for buns (they were grinding the flour, stirring and kneading the dough all all by hand)...Isabelle wasn't too interested as she stood in a mecca of a play space.  Wooden creatures, houses, nature tables, a kitchen area, and a doll nursery/reading area padded by sheep skins....and so much more.  Isabelle explored and played for nearly an hour and half before I had to gently persuade her and I into leaving.  It really is just lovely.

If you know me, then you know my big Waldorf dilemma.  It is exactly what I envision for our children's school experience...and it is expensive (...even with financial aid).  The way the Waldorf philosophy nurtures children in just the right way for their stages of development and how nature, art, play and imagination are interwoven into everything that they do is so near to my heart....and exactly how I want my children to experience school.  I'm not sure if Isabelle or Owen will ever attend a school like this...but I do know that we will always have Waldorf inspiration in our home and in our hearts.  I strongly believe it is more than just a school it is a way of life...one that we are, day by day, learning more about and incorporating into our lives.

Homeschool is an option, for preschool anyways...and then who knows after that.  It is one way that I can ensure that during this period Isabelle and Owen aren't forced to memorize their letters or be expected to read...instead...play, imitation, story telling, imagination....and so much more are the center of our lives and learning experience.

*disclaimer*

this post is in no way me complaining about not being able to afford a school...just me sharing what i want for my kids