Weekending

We haven't even had it for a week yet, and we're puttin' it to work! We're finally working on the bee yard! First step- clear out grass, smooth(ish) ground, pin down landscaping fabric, and procure mulch! It's happening!

(I used a lot of exclamation marks in this post!)

Happy weekending!

!!!

Special Suits

A sweet and generous friend of mine made both my kiddos little bee suits, and today we got to test one of them out. We topped the homemade suit off with a veil and gloves from a supplier, and we headed out to "help" requeen and split hives. Hen never batted an eye, never swatted a bee, and had the most ridiculously adorable casual attitude as the bees flew all around.

He clearly had faith in his getup.

On the way back home he talked about the "awesome-amazing bees" and the "sticky stuff everywhere (propolis)" and how hot it was in his suit... well, you can't win everything. It was very humid.

He's now looking forward to the arrival of our own bees *almost* as much as his Mama...

...and he can't wait to wear his special suit again!

It's Here!

We got our tractor yesterday! It feels like it's been forever since we ordered it, but there's been a lot going on......................... and now there will be even more going on!

Grass

We've had so much rain. Our soil is so saturated that it's been able to successfully prevent the mower from getting out and around in the areas most frequented by our family. Couple that with the fact that the rest of our property is torn up from the last time we were clearing it (with ruts, exposed boulders, and uncleared brush)........... well, what I'm getting around to saying is through no fault of ours we haven't mowed in a reeeeeeeeeally long time.

I personally think it's beautiful. It's amazing to see the wild blooms that appear when all the plants and grasses are left to their own devices! The hubs, on the other hand, is positively twitching to get out there and rein it in.

I must admit it's a little spooky walking through grass that's up past my waist... I'm always afraid I'll step on something thorny or poisonous, since I can't see my feet or the path in front of me!

In fact, just the other afternoon I came across a really big turtle hiding in the grass.........

...lucky for me, though, it was the happy, non-biting, crime-fighting kind.

That was a close one, though.

Gotta love that tall spring grass!

Peace and Suspicious Quiet

Anyone with little kids in their lives knows that sudden pit-of-your-stomach fear and paranoia that comes from realizing your kids have gotten waaaaaaaaaaay too quiet.

In my short parenting career I've found that suspicious silence enveloping everything from the complete unraveling of rolls and rolls of toilet paper or every kind of art on every kind of forbidden surface, to more serious stuff like helping little brother reach the peanut butter and then also helping him cover himself in it.

But most recently, after realizing once again that the kids done gone quiet, I found this...

...and this gave me another deep-down feel, but in the deepest part of my Mama heart. What an awesome, welcome silence to behold.

Ssssssssssoooooooo much better than finding, say, rainbow mustaches where mustaches never should be.

Ahem.

Right Now

Right now, I'm loving...

...a mostly rainy weekend, amazing sibling harmony, kid-led play and lots of puddles.

...a break in the rain, a little time out for everyone, an egg from each Red Lady (I can't remember the last time that happened!), and iris for daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaays.

...a truck bed full of debris, a bathroom only 2/3 functional, drywall and concrete dust everywhere, all future showers for the next little while in the guest bathroom, and one of our last remaining Big House Projects well under way.

Right now, I'm loving a weekend that saw a big push into the renovation of our master bath, and two kiddos who seamlessly adapted to the project by entertaining themselves almost the whole time. I couldn't have asked for a better scenario to cap our week and kick of this next one!

Happy Monday, y'all!

Weekending

A little bit of crabby, a little bit of bored, then a lot of rain, a lot of popcorn, and a lot of music, puppet, and dance performances for parental audiences makes for a pretty good turnaround and a good weekend wind-down around here.

Happy weekend wind-downing!

A Magical Morning

This morning I woke up to a magical fog hovering over the ground and glowing with the sunrise. All the dew on the grass was glistening and it seemed like all the birds were singing at the same time.

It occurred to me that this might be the perfect setting to catch a glimpse of a fairy, so I started looking, and you'd never guess... I actually saw one.

She was fluttery and elusive, but I managed to capture the moment and even caught a glimpse of her bumblebee companion before they ran off into the mist...

It was a magical morning.

Bee Prep Progress

It's getting a little old having my office filled with beehives and their parts and pieces... but I was able to check in on my nucs via the guys growing(?) them earlier this week and it sounds like they're right on track for the beginning of May!

I also found out I've made a beginner mistake in storing my frames as pictured above. Apparently they should have remained stored in the boxes they were shipped in to prevent dust exposure. Now that they've been out and exposed, the dust that's on them (invisible to my eyes but potentially a big deal to the bees) could prevent my new little colony from building out the comb. I'm going to have to re-coat the foundation with beeswax, then later spray each frame heavily with sugar water to encourage the bees to overlook my little foible.

Ooops.

The bee suppliers should really consider adding that little tidbit to the instructions that come with their equipment. Just sayin'.

Other than that extra step I now have to take I think I'm just about ready for my girls. My yard even seems to be preparing...

Only about two more weeks until beeeeeeeees!

De Partay

We doubled up at the birthday party this weekend, as my dad's birthday is only 4 days after Henry's. It could've gotten a little... crowded... sharing your birthday party with a gaggle of Littles and all, but I think we made a good time of it!

Later, after the guests had all gone home and the day was winding down, Henry told me he was glad his party was at the same time as "My Friend Pappy."

This years' party was the last kid party without a proper guest list of school friends, and we took full advantage of that fact, keeping it intimate and low-key. Kid food, cake balls, a Darth Vader pinata, and lots of light saber action (with no accidental injuries!). My kind of party.

Happy birthday Henry and Pappy!

"Best Ever"

Yesterday was Bubba's birthday, and as happy coincidences go we got an invitation on the same day to visit our neighbors, their beautiful horses, and the kids' favorite member of their farm Millie the Donkey.

As we were leaving, Henry turned back toward Millie's paddock and yelled, "BYE MILLIE!" and the sweet old donkey brayed back at him.

Made. His. Day.

We also had homemade pizzas and spent the last hour of the evening riding bikes, but by far his favorite part of the day was "talking to Millie."

When I was tucking him in last night he whispered, "Mama, I'm glad today was my birthday. It was the best birthday ever."

Love that guy.