Groundhog Day (And Candlemas and St. Brigid's Day)

Well, it was sunny and we could definitely see shadows, however, it certainly doesn't seem like winter is going to stick around much longer.  It sure wasn't here today. The kids and I went to the local garden shop to get some potting soil to start our broccoli.   I love the lady there--she is working toward being as self reliant as she can--she wants to get mini goats as well as chickens--apparently, you can't have pigs in Black Mountain.  She wanted one--I can't say that I do.  I mean, I like bacon, and we are careful about buying happy pork, but pigs are really big, and piglets are really cute.  I respect meat farmers, but I am not sure that I could do  it.  Anyway, I came home with a bee in my bonnet about buying the land across the street so we could have some mini-goats (not sure that is the right term-it might be miniature or maybe pygmy but I like saying mini..).  Jesse wisely reminded me that we should start with chickens.  He is planning to buy the wood for the chicken coop this weekend.   In all his spare time.

Anyway, we have been enjoying the unseasonably warm weather around here--at least the children are.  I feel a little anxious about it, but I am sort of keeping it on the downlow--except when I nervously ask any old time locals if this is normal.  (Most say no...)

The kids are in this fairly amazing stage of being able to play together, with no intervention from me, literally for hours.  Sometimes, to be honest, it leaves me wringing my hands wondering what to do, and wandering around the house, doing a little of this and a little of that, getting nothing really accomplished...I feel guilty if I am crafting or writing here for too long, but frankly, the amount of cleaning chores overwhelms me, so I flit about, knitting a row here, doing a little needle-felting, sweeping...Anyway, the kids...here they were playing bear family.  This is a long standing game--David is Rocky, Elsa is Rocky Rose...I have a name in the game too, but I can't remember it, and I am totally dispensable.  Anyway, they were playing upstairs, and then I made them some biscuits, which they took outside to Florida to the county fair.  They were entering my biscuits (Elsa said they would win, but they wouldn't) and the pictures.  Then it was off to the farmer's market to buy broccoli seeds--

This is on the way--we took the stroller, which they pulled a good bit of the way.  Have I mentioned the Greenway in town?  It's the best--it goes along a little creek, and it shortens our walk into town (distance-wise--definitely not time wise as lots and lots of the above happens.) 

And, by the way, I recently read this post at Feather and Anchor which was important.  I have been in this constant state of frustration about the state of my house.  I am pretty much a terrible housekeeper but I have found myself feeling like Sisyphus and a failure all at once.  But I have to remember that good, homemade meals are being made, crafting is getting done...and we are all there.  It is really, really hard to keep a house clean with small children about.