Mabel will be three weeks old on Monday. These early days go so quickly! I am not getting quite enough sleep, though Mae is still pretty easygoing and hasn’t had any major night/day confusion like newborns often do. I had forgotten how difficult blogging with a new baby is as well! I’ve been working on this post all week. A little here, a little there. I can’t compose anything particularly cohesive.
I drove for the first time since my C-section yesterday, to a postpartum appointment with my doctor. I took him a small jar of our honey as a gift and then felt horribly stingy when he thanked me and said that he takes a spoonful of local raw honey every day for his allergies. I’ll take him more! He says that I have healed well, and it’s time to start slowly entering the world again. Okay.
My sister, Abby, and her son, Andrew, have been in town since mid-week. Abby is helping me with some small organizational tasks around the house with the goal of making my life easier (I’m a disaster, house is a disaster, etc.) She’s also reading lots of books to Silas and Job, and gave them much needed haircuts. I usually cut their hair, but I am not good at it, and hate doing it. I’m kind of grossed out by hair, so that’s a problem. This is why my kids are typically a little (or a lot) shaggy.
Seth made his first quadruple batch of quickest pickles from Canning for a New Generation
Everyone is staying up too late at night, and every day I declare that this is the last day of late bedtimes for the younger kids. But so far nothing has changed, and I’m just trying to be flexible. We’ve had more company in the last few weeks than we have in the last few years. It’s been really good, and it’s natural for routines to be thrown out the window for a little while. Right now the evenings are full of games. Last night it was Bird Bingo
I finished Mae’s Violet Bonnet last week, but can’t remember if I posted it here, or only on Instagram. It’s a sweet little hat! I put the linen scarf I am working on now on hold for a day or so as I received a bunch of samples from a new fiber mill that I am working with. From here on out I will only be dyeing and offering in my shop eco-friendly yarns that are produced entirely in the U.S. This has always been my goal and I am excited to be making it happen. The only yarn I have offered previously that I will still be working with (though not till the fall) is the heavy worsted U.S. sourced Columbia Targhee that is milled here in Virginia. Everything else will be brand new in the next shop update. I’ve chosen two fingering weight bases, two sport, a dk, and a worsted, and I LOVE them!! I have dye plants in my garden nearly ready to go, and I am hoping to have a small yarn update by end of the month. It’s going to be good!
I think that’s it… Wait, new baby carrier. It’s a K’tan breeze, and I think I really like it, though I haven’t been ready for much baby wearing yet.
Truly love your stories, make me miss my children being young, all are grown now and I am enjoying my 7 grandchildren…just the other day Arianna 11 years old who is my fairy child like her mother was and Izabella 6 years old and a mermaid sewed with me, so I get to do it again, with more time and not so rushed as a mom..
You inspire me and thank you for bringing your home to us…your family is beautiful..Blessings and hugs..
I think you have kept up on the blog marvelously! I hope and pray that all continues to go well for you!
I love to read your stories and see what your lovely family is up to. My own children are grown now with our last one leaving the nest in a couple of months. Enjoy your late summer nights, book reading together, making things and running outside. Enjoy their shagginess and bare feet. Even though some days seem so long the time goes quickly. My house is more organized now but I so miss those long ago days. Looking forward to someday having a messy house full of visiting barefoot grandchildren.
Everyone looks beautiful and happy! Even the guinea hens, funny little critters that they are! I find it impressive that you are able to blog at all with a newborn.
I think we can all understand that you have a newborn and a house filled with other children…things take awhile, you have (important) things to do….we can get over it 🙂
She is so precious! I love that photo of your pup with her, too. 🙂
I LOVE your hair in that photo…..but you are my ideal of beauty, no matter how you wear your hair.
I am glad you are healing well, and more so that you have help!
I need to try the pickling; those look so good!
Wonderful news!!! Fun times and memories…the pickle recipe is on my to do list…I think it’s heaven sent from my Mom!!! 🙂
Love your posts. You have a beautiful family. The turkeys are adorable. Thanks for sharing.
Marion and family
I read almost all your blog and you and your husband are really something. To have such a big family, a farm, knit and homeschooling? And all the lovely things you do with them….. do you think that when your childrem grow up will remember a house less organized or all the beautiful days you spent outside with them? You are fantastic respecting all their differences. I have no words to explain how your writing and photos made me feel like I was watching a beautiful movie. I live in Portugal but if I was your neighbour I willingly offer my time to help with you housework so that you d have more time to your creations. Thank you for sharing.
they turkeys mixed in made me smile!
Wow. You have accomplished SO MUCH in past three weeks. We are having late nights too and every night I say that we will be getting to bed earlier too, but it’s so hard when it’s light for so long and there is so much going on. Thanks for sharing your baby carrier. My youngest is about to turn 7, but having two of my three babies deep in the heart of summer, I was always experimenting with breathable fabric for a baby carrier and didn’t find much that was as cool as this one looks. It’s great to be able to pass this on to those having summer babes. Best to your beautiful family!
I was so excited to see a new post! You look beautiful. So glad to hear that everything is going well.
These pictures are so precious! And I really love that first one with you and Mae.
Nights of games sounds fun and like you say, the routine will get back to normal soon enough. I’m terrible at haircuts, so I can imagine how welcome the help is from your sister. And the organizational help too! I’ve been cleaning out our pantry and it’s years overdue for a cleaning and organizing session. This whole house needs some major organizational help! 🙂
Wishing you some good sleep! Oh, and I’m excited about your new yarn.
Oh my gracious….Mabel is a beautiful baby. I am amazed how you have any time for knitting or dyeing or any other activities. Perhaps I have to restructure my days……
Lovely times 🙂 Take good care, Ginny xx
Wonderful pictures, every one! Glad you’re healing well and that Mae is easygoing. What a joyous, wonderful time in your family. 🙂
I’m so glad you are healing! I love following your journey, you balance honesty and beauty perfectly. We have been having alot of late nights but we just hit the over-tired grumpy stage so uhoh lol time to reinstate some rhythm!! I hope you continue to rest and take full advantage of having such helpful children while you give your body that time to heal 🙂 xx
So beautiful Ginny! So glad you are doing well. I’d love to know how you do the pickles. I tried canning some once last year and they ended up not being crisp at all!
When you have a big family with several older children, there is a momentum that keeps things flowing along in a healthy and relaxed way even when the mom is needing to rest. At least, when you have established beforehand the kind of lifestyle that supports new babies and facilitates independent and creative humans. I love reading about your own family’s unique expression of this reality. God bless you!
I am loving the photo of you and baby Mae <3 Reminds me of one you shared when Silas was a tiny baby <3
I tried a K'tan for the first time with my latest baby. My friend gave it to me. I adored it for the first few weeks. He became to big/heavy for it after that for me. I preferred my wrap at that point. Now at 5 months I am loving my Tula!
I am with you on the hair. Well, I can cut my girls' hair fine but L's – oh my. I can not seem to cut boys hair and have it look good 🙁 I really don't want to have to buzz it…AGAIN, but I just might have to.
p.s. Think we could convince your sister to give boy hair cut pointers??? 😀
Ooooh oooh I have pointers!! I cut hair for 3 boys and a husband and its taken me a few bald spots and crooked lines to work it out BUT my suggestion is to go left to right {or vice versa} trimming across the top of your fingers {hold the hair like scissors round the hair iykwim} THEN go front to back. No lines, no unevenness, it makes for a solid, basic cut every time 🙂
Do you think that would work even if I have to take a good 1 -2″ off? I waited too long to try to cut his hair again.
What I do then is just run my ‘scissor fingers’ out to the end and trim smallish amounts off until its close to the head again. My children often end up with hair to their shoulders before I’m organised enough to cut it LOL like currently!! I use the same technique, just starting at the ends and trimming in. Sometimes, when its really long, I do it over a couple of cutting sessions. Its basically just taking thin layers of hair, running your ‘scissor fingers’ out as far as you want then cutting along the tops of your fingers. Does that make sense? I’m doing haircuts soon so will take some pics. We’re in a lot of the same FB groups so I’ll message them to you 🙂
Bri I would love that! Thank you!!
So very happy to hear you are healing well, Ginny. Your family is just lovely, truly. So much love and real life! I can’t wait for your shop update! I love the Targhee I previously purchased from you. My eldest has been in charge of most of the gardening this year due to my 6-7month old really despising me bending over with him in any of my carriers. I bet Seth’s refrigerator pickles are delicious! I may need to drop a few hints to my daughter as those sound so good right now. Happy healing! xx
All your children are lovely…..sincerely. Mabel is beautiful. Seth is very interesting. Little boys! Oh My. a mother of 3 boys, i am drawn to boys. Larkspur…..she is a diamond in the rough. I predict she will become famous in her own right. Sorry Ginny, I cannot remember all the children’s names, but they are delightful! thank you for sharing your world. d
you are amazing, truly amazing! i am never ready for much activity until at least 6 weeks postpartum and never accomplish much besides the essentials. good job and yay that you are healing so well! your little mae is so beautiful and making me ache for a newborn again. 🙂
lovely! I encourage you to go into your life according to how *you* feel you are doing. Healing takes time. I am glad the doctor feels you are well on this road. I can see that it can be hard to have structure taken away by guests (I just had beloved family leave today, it does alter one’s days a lot). I hope these days can be looked back on with a lot of love and thankfulness; at the same time, I think we will see how we struggled but with the hope of God’s help in the midst of it. God bless you! going to light a candle by my icons for you right now!
Lovely pictures and family:) We made radish pickles yesterday because we love them in Mexico. Simple solution but we also added a stalk of lemon grass (smash it a bit to release flavors) and lemon juice — then put over radishes. YUM! These were not home grown but I am remembering how easy radishes are to grow and cheap so now have to plant some.
You’re doing so well. Praying for strength and healing and deep peace for you right now Ginny. xxx Hannah