A Tale of Two Glasses

I'm a half full kind of person, usually. My dear Devin, "bless his heart", tends to be half empty. Together we make quite a pair, and when it comes to these honey bees we see things a bit differently.
I see it as an adventure in the ever un-predictable realm of agriculture. There are so many variables when dealing bees that I tend to face the failures challenges directly as a way to try something differently the next go around. Devin sees these challenges failures as, well....failures.

In my mind I want to keep enough hives going to extract myself a little honey and attempt to raise me some queens with the eventual goal of selling nucs and honey. Devin , in his mind, wants to extract enough honey every year to supply a small country.

Two weeks ago he placed my candy boards on my 12 hives and was very half empty when he discovered 5 hives appear to be dead. They had food, but small clusters from what he could tell. Me? I take full responsibility for not checking on them in early October. It's my fault, but I can accept it without being too upset. Devin is mourning the loss of a ton of honey.

Well, today I decided to venture down to the hives and take a glance at them. Here is what I found.


Oh my! Many of the entrances were blocked with dead bees and I had to clean them out. Don't worry, my glass is still half full, but PLEASE let's not tell Devin about this little discovery. It is agriculture after all and I am always up to a challenge, and I can always cross my fingers for some warmer weather to head this way.

A Year to be Grateful

Happy New Year to everyone! I must say that I am looking forward to this new year as I am ready for a new start. 2010 was a bittersweet year, a year full of sadness and joys.
The last 2 weeks have been filled with many reflections of what I am so grateful for and what I wish for the many months ahead.
It snowed here on Christmas day! This was a white Christmas, something that hasn't happened in 40 years! Who would have imagined snow in Georgia on Christmas? I tell you, this upcoming year will be a special one. Just wait and see.

Without a doubt I have been blessed with an amazing family. There has been no greater blessing than my children and for that I am forever grateful.

I am especially thankful this year to have received this little guy.

He arrived when we needed him most and the whole family is in awe of his sweetness.

Goals for the year? Oh I have many.
1. Clean out the junk in this house! When you have 9 people under the same roof you tend to collect many items, some not useful. I plan to spend the next several months getting rid of the clutter. I'll let you know how that goes.

2. Write more. It is so therapeutic and yet I tend to make it last on my huge list of things to do....no more!

3. Raise queen bees. I have always wanted to raise queens and this year I intend to do just that. I lack only a few tools that I will be ordering this month, then I just have to draw out my plans for where to put the hives.

4. Plant a bit larger of a garden. Though I really liked the ease of small garden beds, I really miss growing my own corn and pumpkins. Devin has lovingly agreed to till an area for my corn and pumpkins. I also plan to grow everything from seed and that time will soon be here to start the seeds.

5. Support orphan groups more. 147millionorphans.com does great work and although I have supported them this year, I intend to do more...give more. Is there any greater cause? There are other groups out there as well and I will find them.

6. Support 318partners and LINK. Both of these organizations help the victims of North Korea. One of my dearest friends is a human rights activist for North Korea and this cause is certainly worth everyone's attention.

7. Finally, I will continue life as the mom of many. I will have bad days and good ones. I will be exhausted at times and well rested other times. I will be super productive and I will get nothing accomplished. I will grow some gray hair along the way, but I will always be grateful for the year and what it brings. Here's to 2011.

Happy New Year!

Tis the Season

It's that time of year when we parents traumatize the little ones with a visit to see Santa. Zeb would not even get on his lap. Indiana had to hold him in a chair while he cried and screamed. Ahhh....warm Christmas memories.

It has been extra cold here the last few days, I mean "this ain't the South, ya'll" type of frigid cold. It always makes me nervous for the bee hives. There is no sure way to gage how much honey the bees need for winter.
So...we made candy boards this year.
The theory is to get these boards on by December 22nd and it will assist the bees through the rest of winter. Start with an inner cover board that is not notched and has a 1/2 inch lip all around.

What you will do is boil 2 cups of water and then add 5 pounds of sugar. Cook it to 240 degrees (soft ball stage)

Remove it from the heat and let it cool to 200 degrees.

I added Honey B Healthy when it cooled to 200 degrees. I intend for it to attract the bees more readily to the candy. Now you pour the mixture onto the board and let it set.

I am hoping the weather will be decent enough Friday to put these on the hives. I will take the inner covers off and replace them with these boards, candy side down.
You can learn more about these boards if you visit David Burns HERE

Here's hoping it will soon feel like the South again real soon!

Questions I Ponder

This time of year I find myself busy. Today was filled with school, laundry, sewing, baking, etc. I finally got the baby bathed and down for a short nap so I thought I would update the blog since it has been a neglected part of my weeks lately.

First, my new toy arrived today. It is a birthday present from Devin's parents and my mom.

It is a 30 quart canner. Wow! Big Bertha! I can't wait to test the thing out, and I am sure it will be put to a ton of use over the next several months.

What should I can first?
I wonder if I have enough jars?
Should I watch Psych tonight and do some knitting?
How many macadamia/caramel clusters is too many for one day?
Why is  the price of gas climbing? Is it just the holiday season?
Why do total strangers ask about how many kids I plan to have?
Since when is it anyone's business?
Maybe strangers are just nicely curious?
Are all 2 year old boys a wild handful?
Does crayon wash off walls?
How many times can a toy car get thrown down the stairs before it finally breaks?
Would a toy company ever pay us to test toy durability?
How much longer till bedtime?

Perhaps my brain needs a break.

Babies and Bread

Oh how I have been busy! Busy, busy. Yes, I have been sewing. I am not posting those details, however, because the recipients read this blog. I would not want to spoil a surprise.

We have been moving right along in school too. We have had to slow down and stay on a few topics because they have been difficult to grasp and required some extra work, especially some math. This is when it really is a blessing to be home educating. We stay on a topic until it is mastered and that makes a huge difference in self confidence.

I have also been doing some Christmas shopping. It has been really nice when Devin takes me and drives me around to the stores and also buys me lunch! What a sweetie!

I will tell you that what has kept me occupied more than any of the above activities though......

This little stinker has been a wee bit demanding. I forgive im though when he smiles like this for me:-)
Also................

This big stinker is quite the handful these days. How many times must he flush toys down the commode?

I'll let you know. :-)

Friday Link Love

Since it is Friday I am going to post a picture from this week. My daughter and one of her roosters.. What would be a good caption for this photo? I am not sure what she was doing but I would love to give it a name.

I also want to leave some links from what I have read this week.
Mary Ostyn encourages us to Keep Walking. This is a post I can surely relate to, as can just about any mother.

Have you heard of Katie in Uganda and how she helps orphans there? Right now she needs prayers for her family. Please stop in and check on her. She is such a blessing.

If you are looking for great gifts to sew then check out Sew Mama Sew. You will find exactly what you want and more!

Finally, you really need to make this bread. We had 2 loaves today and I just made 2 for tomorrow. YUMMY!

Have a great weekend ya'll!

Handmade Christmas Part 2

When the fabric is as cheery as this, well, you must make something fun!

Who can resist these snowmen?

Can I get three cheers for rick rack?

And another three cheers for what might be the easiest and cutest apron in town!

Here was my inspiration.....well, that and some cheery Christmas fabric and a couple of dear people who will make great use of these aprons!

I am suddenly craving some cookies.....