Morehice Meet-up

It's a new year, and I do feel refreshed and energized! I think that's partly due to this past week of reflection, resting, and recovering from the holidays and the settling in to a new community in which we finished off 2018 with. It was quite the year with many unexpected changes. And I think we all feel ready to face forward and see what this next year will bring.
We've spent the last week family reunion-ing at Rancho Gallina, an eco retreat near Santa Fe, NM. It's a beautiful place, and I can only imagine what it looks like when the bushes and flowers are in full bloom instead of being snowcapped. It snowed quite a bit during our stay, so everyone, including adults, got to tromp around in ankle deep snow drifts. There's such a peacefulness here. I'm loving all the natural materials used for building and decorating the rooms. Lots of wood, lots of succulents, treasures brought in from outdoors. Artwork reflecting the Southwest. It's all very zen, and when gazing around, my mind feels restful. (Ignoring the fact that there are 15 of us, each with our own snowsuit gear, strewn about the place!)  It's enough to spark the creativity drive, and I'm looking forward to pursuing some new things when we get back home. And that urge to finish all those half started projects from last month too!

Move across the state

I feel like so so much has happened this season, that I'm having a hard time catching up with reality. But here it is: We have moved to western Texas.
Right after we returned from our summer vacationing and school starting time period, Ted interviewed with a new small company and things just started moving forward. Quickly. We spent the month of September preparing for him to move and stay with friends who live in the city that the company is located in, simultaneously searching for a home to live in. All the while keeping the boys in school in Houston for as long as possible while mama packed up the house, oversaw some remodeling work, and just tried staying sane without her sweetie there during the week. Luckily, Ted was able to make the long drive back and forth during long weekends. The chaos ensued for almost an entire month, but somehow we managed to find a place to live by the end of October, and we packed up and hit the road west a few days ago. We have officially re-homed ourselves in Midland, TX.
I have to say, after all the nay-saying about this city that I got in the past, I am really impressed with how wrong it is turning out to be. Something I noticed right away was the ability to squeeze an entire week's worth of Houston errand running into a single day here. I think the furthest I have had to drive is a mere 5-7 minute commute. If you know me, you know I really am not a fan of driving long distances, so this is a huge perk. And the sense of community is stong here. This morning we had, literally, a dozen children out biking on the street block, while the 3 sets of parents watched and chatted and just casually hung out like it was no big deal. I haven't experienced that since our Lawrence days, so an A+ for that. As far as thrift stores go, there's a bunch. I did run into one yesterday that was way overpriced ($7.99 for a plastic plate, is that even a legit price for a new one?) but also was pleasantly suprised to find a few that were willing to haggle with us. The ethnic food choices might be weaker here, but we have found a few hole-in-the-wall locations that compare with some of our favorite Houston spots. Oh, did I mention they are only 5 minutes away? They are. Babysitters seem to be in abundance here as well. Though, I will truly miss our sitters that we got to know over the past year in H-town.
Before we left Houston, I had to re-home my beloved animals that provided so much for our family. All of our egg and milk (cheese) needs, basically. After being a dairymaid for much of the past year, it was a hard process for me to just give it up. But I'm so glad that we could find a farm family who could take on all the animals and give them an even larger area to roam and be happy in. It's weird not having to shut the chickens in their coop every night. I have caught myself so many times thinking about going outside to check on them. Old habits are hard to break I guess.
Moving is hard. Change is hard. I've definitely shed my share of tears over the past few months because of it. Sometimes you just have to trust that it is going to be fine and that you will grow from it.
And I'm sure I will have plenty more to talk about as I get to know this town and all that it entails, but is getting late and I have a baby snoozing on my lap that needs to get transferred to her bed, so 'good-night' and enjoy your extra hour of zzzs tonight as daylight savings time ends!
Here's a quick photo we took the other night. Ted's #1 goal was to get the fireplace started. I am just so excited to have an actual fireplace! My first one! It really adds to the hygge effect that I strive for in a house.

The beginning of a new school year

School started today for our older boys. We have a 2nd grader and a kindergartener. It is strange not having a buzzing house this morning, but I'm looking forward to getting back into a routine that allows for more "Jaylyn moments" to happen. Think cooking, baking, writing, coffee drinking, making, etc. And of course, spending time with the young ones that will be with me here at home. (They are both napping now, which is how I'm getting this entry out).

So with this new space in my day, I have opened my Etsy shop and you can find my fiber art listed for sale here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/BeneathTheGreenwood
I'm excited to start adding a wider range of felted pieces, and sharing them with the world. I hope you'll take a look.

This is only Day 1, but I think I can get on board with this early drop off (7:30AM!!), early pick up (2:50) thing. Though, that means goat milking happens in the dark again. I had to use a lamp in the parlor this morning and the goats were very confused! But getting done earlier in the day will hopefully mean we can get some fun things worked into our afterschool time too. And don't forget, early bedtimes for everyone!

How are you adjusting to the new school year?

Summer days

How many moons has it been since I've updated this? Well, here I am again. Time to de-clutter some thoughts and clean the mind!

While we have been busy wrapping up (yet again) more of the land & house remodel, we've also been taking life at a slower pace this summer. The crofter's suite has turned into our daily retreat that we escape to. I've been getting some serious reading done with this new space. It feels very different than our main house, and we have mentioned several times now that we should all just move out into this tiny cabin out back! 

And, I have a clothesline again! Every time we visit upstate New York, we're reminded how lovely it is to see the Mennonite farms flying their laundry high above the gardens on wash day. We tried to mimick this and have a pulley system that goes across to one of our tall trees. And so I've rediscovered the joy of doing laundry again. Notice the kids' swimming tube they came up with. It launches you down into a splash of a pool at the end. Lots of mud, too.

We came upon a new gastrobar near our neighborhood recently. Edison's. And if you are a gin fan like myself, you'll not be disappointed in the many concoctions they have on the menu. Here we are on a happy hour date. I'm admiring a rose petal, elderflower, lavender mix, while Ted tries a spicy pepper type. Tiny dates out are a nice way to re-set for the week. 

And with that, I'm off to put kids to bed. Here's to another slow day of summer tomorrow!

Spring 2018

It has been a busy few months, to say the least! I'll attempt to hit on some of the highlights though.

• February was full of seeding things in the garden, and finishing up some projects that had been in the back of our minds for some time. 

• In March we welcomed a baby goat buckling that was born right here in our garage birthing pen. It was a first time for both the mama goat, Saffron, and us (helping to pull baby). It was all very exciting. Later we hosted a morning playdate with some school friends, and it was a joy to see all the children interacting with the animals that live here and spending the rest of the time playing in the treehouse. We also started picking things from the garden this month and began incorporating them into our meals. We also planted 30 tomatoes. I guess we're canning this year. 

• We managed to squeeze in a quick trip to San Marcos, TX before our second mama goat was due. It was a nice time spent hiking, lots of biking (my poor bike hadn't been rode for 2 whole years! Sad) watching live country music, touring little shops, and falling out of an airplane. Yes, you read that right. Ted finally convinced me to go skydiving with him.  

• April brought about more baby goats. This time twins, to mama Aurelia! A brother and sister, so very cute. We plan on keeping the little doeling, Pepper, to raise as a future milk goat. 

• Which brings me to our latest adventure: in milking goats! So far we are only milking Saffron, and she's giving us almost a quart per day. Tomorrow we plan on making some chevre because it adds up quite fast, and we're still switching over gradually from drinking whole cow milk to raw goat milk. But if you wonder, honestly, I can't tell much difference in taste. I think because of the diet we have our goats on, the milk is buttery and sweet and grassy-like. No yogurty sour flavors whatsoever, like I had imagined. 

• I'm finding it very exciting to not have to go to the grocery store so often. This small homesteading thing is finally starting to pay off a little. Some things we've produced using our own recources have included: Using peaches from our tree to make pie, Making bouquets from our own flowers, Drying herbs, Making elderberry tinctures, Ferments, Gathering our own eggs, Collecting our own milk, Using all sorts of greens in various meals. The only thing missing now is honey. Bzzzzz! And maybe quail.....and maybe a few more chickens....and is there room for a Jersey cow somewhere? 

And on top of all the farmy stuff there are the adventures with the Morehouse kiddos. They impress me every day, and I love watching them grow and discover new things. Sometimes I'm in awe of their conversations with each other, and it makes my heart so happy. Other times I am pulling them apart so that they don't kill each other. A healthy balance, as they say. 

Setting intentions for the New Year

Happy 2018 everyone. I've seen a lot of 'words for the year' floating around the internet, and it got me thinking: What is my theme word going to be for this new year? Most of my goals involve building things for our animals, mainly a proper goat milking barn and place for keeping all of the feed supplies. And then there's painting the rest of the house. Painting Scraps the Traveling Van. Building a small roadside book library open to the public. Actually, I have quite a few woodworking projects I'd like to tackle, and they are out of my skill range. But back to the barn. Would my word be Independence? Self-reliance? Self-supporting? I realized all of that is just too much to take on. Learning new carpenter skills seems like a pretty big challenge, and when exactly was I going to have time to be teaching myself how to construct this barn? Hmmm. No, I need help.
That's why I am settling on this word of the year: Community. Maybe it's time to start asking others for their help when I need it. It goes far beyond just building this milking barn. Help watching the kids when mama needs a little self care? Getting together for meals? Making beautiful art together? Trading and swapping goods instead of monetary exchange? Just general communing and getting to know others around us better? Yes, yes, yes!
Here's a photo from a very communal Friends-giving trip, in which we all shared a house, yummy food, screaming babies, and memories to last for years! Really, it was a fun trip!

Prepping for Winter Faire

It seems as if December is slipping right on by. Our annual school Winter Faire was today, and we have been bizzy bees getting projects completed for this magical tradition. Finn was eager to help with the activity area sign preparations, and there he is above- blending watercolor pencil with a brush of water. Painting, felting dolls to sell, and baking the KU Geology cream-cheese filled snicker-doodles were pretty much what my days have looked like this week. I hope more people took photos today, because it really was a beautiful event that I'm so grateful to have been a part of. Thank you, Bayou Village community!

Oh, and I even came home carrying a couple bags of soft alpaca wool that I can't wait to try out on some new dolls in the works. See my latest needle-feltings at https://www.facebook.com/beneaththegreenwood/

The Apron

I started wearing an apron about seven years ago. I think my husband gifted it to me for Mother’s Day one year. It was bright yellow and patterned with bees all over it. I had always associated an apron with people who were good in the kitchen. And I definitely didn’t fit into that category. I didn’t do a whole lot of cooking or baking for our small family back in those days.

I can’t say why I started wearing that apron in the first place. But I remember when I did, something very strange would happen. Almost always, I would be more productive in the work that I was doing that day. Not only that, but the work itself would have more thought put into it. It seemed the very act of putting the apron on and tying those long ribbons around the back shifted my entire perspective, and I was mentally prepared to take on the day with a more positive outlook on whatever may come my way.

Years went by, more aprons came, more babies came, (and we kept adding more live animals to our brood too!) and wearing an apron actually became a more functional part of my wardrobe. I was constantly needing a pocket to hold little things that needed carried around. Whether it was for holding treasures that the boys had found, or a place to keep my little pocket knife, or acting as an extra hand when I forgot the egg-collecting basket but had already gone out to check the coop, my apron pockets became something I just could not live without. And I can’t count the times I have had to use it as a rag for drying my hands when all of the towels somehow seem to have disappeared...or the times it has been used as a tissue to wipe away a child’s tears, or my own.

The original bee apron doesn’t get much wear very often anymore. As time has passed, I’ve leaned toward new favorites, but she will always be the one apron that started it all for me. You can still find her hanging up proudly on a hook by the pantry, ready to help me when I call her to the job.

A song we wrote in the car ride to school today

Old Man Rogers

by Finn Morehouse (with some help from Jaylyn Morehouse)

Old Man Rogers is a dreamed up character that has been known to show up in the boys' play from time to time. He is an "old man who likes to steal our animals". A rogers is "a person who steals things like money". I imagine it's similar to a robber ;) In this song, Old Man Rogers goes through a lot of work, only to find himself in a bad position in the end.

Old Man Rogers went to the farm,

he got a chicken and he threw it in the barn,

The chicken said "cluck" and out came an egg,

and scrambled eggs is what he made.

Old Man Rogers went to the farm,

he got a goose and threw it in the barn,

The goose said "honk' and he pooped on his shoe,

and Old Man Rogers didn't know what to do.

Old Man Rogers went to the farm,

he got a goat and he threw it in the barn,

The goat used his horns and he butted him with his head,

then Old Man Rogers was soon dead.

Welcome, September

This week was full of heart ache as we watched our city get slammed by trillions of gallons of water from Hurricane Harvey. Today's newspaper headline read '51 Inches!' We were fortunate to have a safe and dry place to live while all of this was happening, but we're emotionally drained and feeling all sorts of survivors guilt in the aftermath of it all. So many families are displaced. People we personally know have gone from being self dependent to having no where to live in the course of a few days. We got to go inside one of these majorly flooded houses this morning. Entire subdivisions had piles and piles of damaged household furniture, sheet rock, and ruined flooring out on the curbs. The houses have to be stripped down to the studs, and fast, before the mildew and mold start to really rot it and it becomes in-salvageable. So very overwhelming and sad. But in the midst of it all, there are so many volunteers helping out. Lots of love is going around, and that is what is keeping everyone's spirits up.

Schools have been delayed until after Sept. 11th. And even now, the district isn't entirely sure if it will meet that deadline. This year Briggs will be going into grade 1. Finn will be attending a Waldorf mixed kindergarten class, and little Max is going to do some half-days twice a week at the Waldorf school too. I'm not really sure what Madeline and I will be working on while the boys are away. Probably tending the animals and trying to conquer the fall garden. I'm determined to get the back of the house painted at some point too, along with an infinite number of small yard projects that are calling me.

We've done a bunch of cleaning up this week while the sun dries out the ground. We had to drain our animal run with a new pipe to get all the standing water out before mosquitoes took advantage of that. I spent a good portion of a morning mucking out the chicken coop and cleaning all the mud out due to the chickens AND goats co-living in it for 4 days straight while the rain poured. The animals were (for the most part) high and dry through it all. Saffron and Aurelia kept head-butting the hens out the door, poor girls. The hens managed to avoid becoming broody, and only one entered molting season so far. Our egg production has slowed down because we're in the heat of the summer. I'm so looking forward to those cool crisp mornings where I can't feel any humidity suffocating my nose! I must be patient though.

Keep all of Houston in your thoughts and prayers. And if you want to come help with relief efforts, you have a place to stay here. We have 1 bunk bed in the kids' room, a double mattress we can put on the floor, and a tent platform on the deck outside (although, I would really only recommend that once it cools off).

July 1, 2017

Tree top house

Beeswax in votive molds

Getting consciously cozy

Scrap soup: A combination of left overs, freezer items, and garden harvest

It seems as if the dog days of summer have arrived here. If that means everyone feels like laying around and taking it slow, that is. It's just so hot out that we have had to put a halt on some of the outside projects, or only work on them when we have the energy and hydration.
Even so, we have spent a good portion of our time on the boys' treehouse. It now has walls and a roof! I think it looks pretty cute up there. We're counting down the days until we can decorate the inside (or maybe that's just me).

Ted and I have been embracing all that is hygge, and have started making candles to achieve cozy lighting and atmosphere in our home. We're using beeswax, and it smells wonderful when we have it liquefying on the stovetop. Like a honeypot of goodness! Now, if only it were cold enough to wear woolen socks....

The garden is still producing lots of peppers and tomatoes, and I've been throwing them into practically every dish that I can. I think we've discovered that of everything we hoped to grow, peppers are one thing that do extremely well here. Somehow our bell pepper plants are taller than me!

And last, but certainly not least, someone around here turned 5! The birthday crown is still going strong, and this must be his favorite birthday shirt, because I remember taking a very similar photo last year.

Vegan jerky

I was reading a local Houston magazine this week, and inside was a recipe for crispy baked watermelon rinds. Immediately I had to know what this was all about and give it a try! I've been thinking a lot about food waste lately. Reading other blogs about it, and being fascinated by Rob Greenfield and his famous youtubes on dumpster-diving, has got me all crazy about trying new ways to prepare our meals at home and completely using up the produce that comes out of the garden. There's just something very satisfying in that.

 In all fairness though, I have chickens who are happy to eat what we don't, but even they sometimes turn up their beaks at those chewy melon skins and leave me to rake them up later. So here I am trying this out:

Chopping off rind from yummy part

Sliced as thin as I could go without chopping fingers..

Coated in oil, pinch of chili powder, s/p, and fav seasoning rub

Baked for approximately an hour at 330 degrees F

I'm not sure how these were supposed to turn out, crispy-wise, that is. I definitely baked them longer than the recipe called for. They remind me a lot of kale chips, only chewier. They're okay! But, I think I am the only one in this family that is going to be indulging in these "vegan jerky strips".

Madeline Mazie Morehouse

We're excited to announce that our daughter, Madeline, was born on Sunday, March 12th. Up until that day, there were hardly any "signs" she was close to being done cooking. I was still remembering how I went 2 weeks past my estimated due date with Max, and was preparing myself for another long wait. So here's how things went down that day:

I woke up to some annoying contractions at 5:30am that morning, and noticed they were slightly rhythmic; about 7 minutes apart and preventing me from falling back asleep. I stayed awake to time them for about 2 hours while the rest of the house was still sleeping. 

When the boys woke up at 7:30, I told Ted that I felt yucky and crampy, and possibly in early labor but to not get our hopes up. So we continued on with our day, doing breakfast, laundry, chicken and goat chores...still timing contractions which were anywhere from 2-5 minutes apart. 

It was around 9 when Max randomly barfed everywhere in the boys' bedroom. We still don't know what that was about?? But Ted and I looked at each other like, "seriously, is this the kind of day we need right now?!" 

By 10 o clock I was pretty sure that I was in early labor. I really had to convince myself that it was not just in my head, because the timing contractions thing was very unreliable. They were getting stronger, but not closer together or lasting very long. More like bad period cramps. But after another hour, I found myself getting into our bathtub to ease the contractions a bit and help to take the weight off my pelvis. At this point, I think things started to really get going. Ted worked on blowing up the birth pool in the kitchen and filing it with water. I just stayed in the tub and watched Max practice going underwater and holding his breath. 

We called the midwife at 11:50, and they got on the road and were here probably 30 minutes later. Upon their arrival, my cervix was checked. I was at a 5-6. Ted got on the phone to order pizza for everyone because we were all hungry. My birth pool was finally warm enough to go in, and I was about to get up to go in because my contractions were worse and I found myself on the bed talking to the birth team and soon launching myself into the pillows and getting onto my hands and knees as a sharp pain shot through my body. I looked down and my water was breaking. I remember hearing them all say something about how I was "dilating the rest of the way"...and "should someone get Ted in the room?"

"Yes! Where's Ted, I feel like I need to push!" He hung up on the pizza delivery service and ran into the bedroom. So then my brain kind of shut off and my body took over and details are a little fuzzy, but I was still on the bed on my knees and was surprised to realize that I was pushing the baby's head out already. Max ran out the room scared for his life. (Sorry kid!) And the baby's little body came out quickly right after. I heard her crying and knew everything was alright. The midwife's student passed her up to me through my legs and I looked at her squishy wet face for the first time :) It all happened so fast. 

She was born at 1:09pm. Shortly after, Madeline and I both got to get in the birth pool (after all, it was filled up with nice hot water) and we did an herbal bath and baby float. I cupped her small face in my hands and she floated around like she was back in the womb. All the while licking the air and wondering why it tasted so different than amniotic fluid!

Cutting cord

Proud big brothers

7 lbs 1 oz

Nest prep

 March is here, and that means we are getting close to meeting our newest family member! Some friends threw me a Mother's Blessing Way last weekend and they made me this flag to hang up.

I also got my belly decorated with henna. I'm amazed that it was all done by hand! It can last up to 2 weeks (if I'm careful not to scrub too hard in the shower).

Paisley and florals!

Hooray for babies!

Rain day brain dump

We're all cozy inside of the house today due to the chilly rainy weather outdoors. I'm still unpacking from our weekend trip to the Mother Earth News Fair. It was something! I attended workshops on raising guinea fowl, rainwater collection systems, and was immensely inspired by a man who gave a demonstrative talk on how to build your own cob pizza oven. I am pretty sure that will be in the works very soon. How fun will it be to have friends over and prepare dinner on some hot bricks!?

Briggs making cob from clay, sand, and shredded newspaper

We were so happy to see our extended family/cousins that live in Austin, and catch up on life with them. We also enjoyed finding a burger joint that had an outdoor playground for the boys to get their crazies out while Ted and I sat at a table eating (partial alcoholic) ice cream without any little mouths constantly asking for bites :) .

"Scraps" the traveling van proved to be a good purchase, and got us back in one piece without any road trouble. Once he gets a some new clothes, he will be ready to travel the country in style! Speaking of which, if anyone has the hookup for art-car enthusiasts or would like to help us paint some weird murals in the future, hit me up! I know nothing about painting vehicles.

We were welcomed home yesterday with a surprise in the goat barn. Can you guess what I found tucked snugly in the alfalfa trough?

A green tinted teeny tiny egg! 

Ophelia, our Blue Favaucana hen is the winner of the 1st egg laying contest. I am thrilled they are finally old enough to start earning their keep around here ;)

We got a nice long row of tomato plants in the ground yesterday afternoon, just in time for this lovely rainy day. I hope they get to growing...my seedling starters are definitely smaller than those you'll find in the nurseries this time of the year.

Fare thee well for now!

2-2-17

To be perfectly honest, I haven't put a lot of thought into what is about to happen in the next couple months with baby girl on her way. I guess the time is drawing near...but what have I done to prepare? I did get some newborn clothing tucked away in her dresser drawer last week. And today I ordered my birthing kit. I know there are a few more odds and ends that need to be put in order, but there's just so much else happening around here. 

I feel like I've accomplished quite a few tasks this morning. We collected a bag full of pine needles and grassy stick things from the park for a project we're working on. We had a big collection of mostly magazines and a few books that we dropped off at 2 different Little Free Libraries. Then we were off to the feed store to take care of all animal related needs. I needed to get goat and cat food, de-worming meds, and flea/tick meds. Hopefully they will be set for a couple months now.

Presently, Finn and I are trying to figure out how we're going to make a sign for 'Blueberry Hill'. We planted 4 bushes in the front yard and we spent our entire yesterday decorating the grassy slope with gnome-y mushroom-y things. 

More marigolds, peppers, and passion flowers were seeded in trays and everything in the greenhouse/hoop house is doing very well! 

Ted informed me that more rain is on it's way for the weekend, so it looks like tonight we'll be preparing for floody weather and getting the sump ready to drain the areas that turn into ponds. 

Also, the Superbowl is coming to town this weekend. Hopefully we'll be able to get around to wherever we need to go without dealing with all the crazies ;) (drivers, that is!)

Fare thee well!

Friday afternoon reflections

This seed basket can only mean one thing; it's time to get back into gardening and my livelihood! It's very odd starting seeds now, being it's January and all. I am not complaining, it's just odd. I made my first attempt at sterilizing potting soil this week for my trays, and it must have been alright because the French marigolds are popping their little heads out today after being tucked in just 3 days ago.

Over the past weekend we constructed our very first 'hoop house' and we're hoping it won't need the tarp on for long, but seeing as how it was down to 20 degrees F and killed a bunch of our citris grove a few days back.....you just cannot be too safe!

Max turned 2 this week! He has started repeating quite a few words/phrases that he hears us say, so I imagine it won't be long before we have another storyteller on our hands. One of his favorite activities is playing in the animal run.

We have had a couple afternoons of sitting around the fire after school and snacking, and listening to goat's baaing in the background ;)

Sometimes life is just better with a cat.

Mid November 2016

It's been way too long since I've updated, so I really don't know where I should begin. Let's just say that a lot has happened to the house remodel. We like our house. And it's finally getting better outside. We are even pumped up about starting some new things in the backyard soon. We've had a ton of helpers with everything and are so thankful for family and friends who are willing to donate their time. The latest changes around here have been:

1. The completion of the deck.

2. The chicken coop with a flock of hens.

3. A tree-house right out our back door.

4. Clearing the bamboo forest to make way for garden space.

5. Both older boys are attending school.

Briggs-Kindergarten

Finn-Pre K

5. Finding out we're going to have a daughter sometime in March!

6. Getting a dog whose favourite thing is to bite up shoes.

This week my family is here visiting and we've already fixed up the chicken run so that the littlest chickies can't squeeze through the fence and get taken away by Rufus.....and get buried alive in the dirt. (Luckily, Finn was watching and came to her rescue. She survived and all is well!)

Today we baked cookies using the pecans that we've been collecting from trees, and some will be sent with Briggs for his Fall Festival. And later this week we get to join him at school for a Thanksgiving luncheon.

Looking forward to doing a little thrift-ing for baby clothes, and fabric shopping so that Mom can get started on a new quilt when she gets home.

Photo booth last Sunday