The Monetary Value of a Stay-At-Home Mom

$96,261 annually.

Breathe. Life is precious.

A few moments in time.

*Sorry- I can't get this pictures flipped in the right direction!

What a smart alack! This is what Charlie does now when I ask him to shut the refrigerator door. 

Cuddling with his peeps... moments before drifting off to sleep. So sweet, I love it when he falls asleep so peacefully.

Tunneling.

Charlie and his baby doll.

Spinach Quiche.

Homemade Pasta with Sage from the garden. Short of burning it I was wondering what to do with that stuff.

New mittens from Auntie Kali.

Yes, they are wearing matching shirts- from Italia of course.

True Love.

Rommegrot- good to the last drop. Charlie dropped his first Uffda two days ago, by the way. Very proud moment for good ol' Tollef Wiste I'm sure (I know my Grandma would have loved it, anyways).

I have been a bad blogger, as Kali of (insert clever title here) would say. I will try to do better. Maybe I need to come up with a more focused concept, or just accept that this is a dumping spot for very random, though mainly Charlie related pictures. A spot for all Charlie-lovers to get their fix. Although maybe I should check out the new instagram craze, which may be a more appropriate outlet. We shall see.
~Becky

This is why leggings will never really go out of style...

Charlie has also been wearing his new Christmas slippers non-stop since he got them, except when in his pajamas. Trav tried to take them off for a little breather yesterday, but he wouldn't have any of it. He gives them kisses while they are on his feet; now that's talent.

~Becky

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The great hunter(s).

A little nap before Thanksgiving dinner.

~Becky

Our Christmas soap is ready.

Peppermint and Cinnamon, oh my! (And super sudsy.)

~Becky

CH Ch CH Charlie.

~Becky

Spooky.

Charlie had lots of fun. He was a blur, so it was actually impossible to get a good picture of him being still (because he wasn't). Or maybe you just can't catch Baby Bones on film.

~Becky

So... Its been a while.

The baby pigs have grown up since the last time I blogged (since the last time anyone on here has blogged)!

So they take these adorable naps where they, literally, hogpile on top of each other.

Farmer Charlie

He might just be a farmer, he LOVES animals. (Granted he loves smelling things lately, so that is the sign of a future career in what? designing a cologne or becoming a chef?)

Sorry I've been so behind on blogging pics of Charlie- I take so many this is actually a good outlet for a few favorites. I promise to try harder in the future. That's not a great guarantee, but hey, we stay pretty busy.

Poor Charlie is working on growing a molar (his cheeks always get so rosy when he's teething). I feel bad for him because he's obviously not feeling quite himself, but he's just so darn cute and loves to cuddle.

He's such a honey. I keep feeling like this is the best age.

15 piglets.

Video shot by Tim of the birth- without him all 15 would not have survived...

Plumb worn out.

This is what a little hard-core gardening in the morning will do to a couple of fellows (Meow just loves to nap). I should seriously get some garden pics up, too, but this is it for now...

We ate good food today: breakfast of farm-fresh eggs and grass-fed bacon with toast and peaches; grilled porkchops from Mum and Dad for lunch, with a side of baked and seasoned sweet potatoes and a giant salad containing lettuce, spinach, swiss chard, broccoli, sliced radishes (all picked fresh this morning) and topped with parmesan cheese, sunflower seeds and poppy seed dressing. We felt completely lucky while eating, watching Charlie mash sweet potatoes all over himself and his high chair, dropping as many as possible on the floor. Afterwards Tav sat down with Charlie while I cleaned up the mess. And that's where we're at on this Saturday afternoon.

~Becky

Hannah gives birth

Hannah before she had her baby pigs.

This is number three. Red with black dots.

This little pig is coming backwards.

Here is all 15 of them. Hannah looks pretty content.

Right now I am...

Baking Bread. It's 80 degrees in the house, and I waited thinking the heat of the oven wouldn't be so bad this late in the day. I'm still getting used to this new weather! Its a Mixed Grain batch, so besides the normal white and wheat flour, it also includes corn meal and oatmeal. It looks pretty- I sprinkled it with a few oatmeal specs prior to baking, but not sure how this humidity is affecting the rise. I'm trying out some new prototypes for the farmer's market (and for us- I'm reading The Village Baker). I don't know if the "regular" loaf varieties will sell as well as the artisan loaves baked on stone.
Everyone else in the house is sleeping- Charlie fell asleep at the neighborhood watch meeting, after singing to everyone. It was perfect timing; they asked if anyone else had something to say, and he obliged. Not much else was going on in the neighborhood anyways, just some complaining about bushes, the new round-about, and discussion on same-sex marraige. Then we went home and he settled into sleep (in a summer romper no less).
If I wanted to turn on the air, I'd have to deal with the hive some bee's built in the switch box outside. Not sure about that one. There were a couple of cells in it last year, so I just used the end of a wooden spoon. Now I can't even see the switch, although it did not look very active.

Til' next time,

~Becky

Kitchen Observer

Cooking is so much fun when Charlie is having a good time.

And he’s usually having a good time at snack time.

~Becky