Love

K2 forms a real bond with each of her babies and can tell them apart from when they're pretty small.   [They all look the same to me - beige]  She knows which ones like the water the most.  Which ones could snuggle all day.  Which ones do not like the water thank you very much.  Which ones whistle and which ones quack the loudest.  They follow her around like puppies.

Here she is in front of a stock tank that she used as a swimming pool for them until they got big enough to go down to the creek.   Each duck got a snuggle as it came out.  She loves them. 

And they love her.










[pics: Lily Jenness]

Up Close in the Veg Garden

After spending some time in the flower garden [yesterday's pics], K2 hopped over to the veg garden to get up close there.  I think these are even better.   I love the colors and textures of the veg garden.

Arugula flowers. 

Cilantro flower with visitor.

Chamomile.

Horseradish flower.

Horseradish leaves.

Lettuce leaves..

Up Close and Personal

Once in a while, K2 takes the camera into the garden and gets up close and personal with everything growing there.  I don't always discover this until I'm downloading, but her style is distinctive and the perspective is all her own.  This is what she found in the flower garden.

Open wide and say, 'Ahh...' 

This is the throat of an iris.

Clematis 'Niobe' just opening.

Its neighbor, open.

The heart of one of the very old peonies that came with the house.    

Veronica 'Crater Lake Blue'.

Summertime

Lily snapped this pic a couple of weeks ago.  This is K2, getting a little sun.  Notice the umbrella she has put up to shade her ducklings.

Notice the ducklings, who are bonded to her and who have snuggled as close to her as possible in the enclosure.

Notice the math book.   We homeschool year-round for math.  It allows a slower, more measured pace.  We don't have the 'Huh?' moments in the fall when they open the book for the first time in 3 months.   The math stays fresh and we don't have to race through.   We just keep going.

This pic pretty much captures how we try to live.   We multitask a lot.   A little school, a little farm responsibility, a little fun.   Every day.

Sunflowers

We have a ginormous sunflower that volunteered in our melon bed.    It keeps watch over the melons and is better looking than a scarecrow. 

Pretty, huh!

Photos:  K2

Summer

A few of K2s photos from last week.   She loves getting up close and personal.

Brownie Cake with Raspberry Filling

K2 has been baking!  [I love it when she bakes!]

This week's delight is very simple:   Brownie Cake with Raspberry Filling.  This is what you need:

2 Cups sugar
1 Cup butter
2 tsp vanilla
6 eggs
1 1/3 Cups flour
1 Cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

1 Cup [or so] Raspberry Jam for filling

Directions:
Mix all cake ingredients together [Not the jam!].   Pour into 2 greased, round cake pans.  Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.  Don't let it over-bake. 

Let cool completely.    Place one round  upside down [flat side up] on cake plate, cover with raspberry jam.  Stack other round on top, right side up [flat side down] and frost with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:
1 Cup butter - softened
1 tsp vanilla
4 Cups powdered sugar
3/4 Cup cocoa powder
4 Tbs milk - add 2 T at a time.

Mix until well blended.   Spread on cooled cake.

For those neato chocolate shavings on top:  Freeze your favorite chocolate bar.  Make chocolate shavings by using a vegetable peeler to grate the edge of the bar.  

Sweet Feet

My adorable little K2 loves pink. 

She doesn't love to stand still so I can take a picture of her adorable pinkness. 

But once in a while, I catch a pic of our whirling, twirling little fairy in action.

This is she on her pink scooter, that she bought with her own money that she she worked for, with her fabu pink sparkly shoes that she found in perfect condition at Goodwill, no less.

I love her so much it takes my breath away.