Garden Theivery

Oh, the garden. For so many years it has been my sanctuary, my therapy, maybe not my reason for living, but definitely sustenance for my body and soul.

This year, thanks to THE DEER, it has become depressing to even look out the window at the destruction they have wrecked upon my garden. There have always been deer, rabbits, birds. I have never minded sharing a bit with all of the creatures. We share this land. But this year, they have become more bold and they are no longer sharing they are taking everything. They even eat half of a squash directly from the plant.

So far, the only things they haven't touched are the onions and a single pumpkin. Which, I'm hoping will last until Halloween.

Next year, I'm using my energy to build a deer fence.

Join the Movement: Koffee Kult

This post contains sponsored links from Koffee Kult.

As I hail from the Seattle area, I fancy myself a bit of a coffee connoisseur. I don’t have high expectations for coffee purchased of the internet, since I can go to a local roaster and watch them roast my beans. This bag of Koffee Kult’s Colombia Huila showed up in the mail, and one look at the squirrel with the crazy hypnotizing eyes has me changing my tune.

After staring at the squirrel for awhile, I noticed that the bag opening is very different than most coffee bags I’ve encountered. It’s like, a ziplock top, so you can squeeze all the air out and fully seal the bag, sealing in the flavors. I poured some of the beans into a small bowl to take a closer look. They were a nice, dark color with a bit of a shine from the coffee oils. This is a good sign - as it shows that the beans have not been over-roasted. 

My favorite way to drink coffee is black, and made in a french press. When I poured the water into the press, I noticed the water changed to a warm chocolatey color almost immediately. I gave the grounds a good stir, and went on about my business, allowing them to steep for several minutes.

Finally, I was able to pour my cuppa. Upon tasting, I found a mildly acidic, smooth coffee with a bit of sweetness. It is an excellent cup of black coffee.

The listing for the coffee states that the beans are organically sourced from Huila’s high mountain elevations. However, these beans are not certified organic OR fair trade which is really the number one priority for me when purchasing coffee. For this reason and this reason only, I would rate this coffee a ⅘ stars.

I did receive this coffee at a promotional discount in exchange for writing a review on this blog. Feel free to click on links to purchase, there are no affiliate links on this post.

Elephants All Around

We attended a baby shower for my cousin yesterday. Okay, technically, she's my cousin's wife but I don't like all that hullabaloo, so we will just call her my cousin. They are having a baby boy (no name yet) and the idea was floated around to buy the baby books instead of cards. Cards are so expensive and they get read and recycled. For the same price you can find a children's book and write on the cover. I thought that was brilliant, and so did everyone else, so this baby boy has a fresh new library to start him out.

Marley attended sewing camp at the beginning of the summer and after it was over, she and my mom decided to make flannel blankets for the baby. They turned out sew well (excuse the pun, I couldn't resist). She used soft grey elephant fabric on one side and grey and white chevron on the other. She bound it with a decorative stitch! We also picked up the book If Animals Kissed Goodnight by Ann Whitford Paul and a super soft organic elephant rattle. The whole package turned out just darling.

20 Facts About Us

10 Facts About Rachel

1. I'm blessed to work from home - having a flexible schedule allows me to homeschool Marley.
2. I love to sew, but haven't had the time since I finished a coat for Marley. I'm also a proficient knitter and embroiderer. I've yet to meet a craft I didn't like.
 
3. I took my very first belly dancing class over the weekend and I loved it!
4. Although I don't consider myself a girly-girl, I love trying out new, fun things with my hair.

5. I'm a proud Greener Grad.
6. I've lived in a few cities, but they are all along the I-5 corridor in Western Washington.
7. I've only been to six states and Canada. And China.
8. I'm passionate about growing my own food and preserving it.

9. I love every single Rick Riordan book. I prefer books that don't make me think, I read to relax.
10. I'm a Certified Professional Coder and President of my local AAPC chapter.

10 Facts About Marley

1. I like to draw.
2. I like to sing and dance and act. I was recently in my school's musical.

3. I'm learning how to sew - I'm going to sewing camp this week!
4. I like to look fancy and do my hair.
5. I'm funny and good at making people laugh.
6. My dream is to be on Master Chef or Master Chef Junior.
7. I also love Rick Riordan - my favorite is Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
8. I like to dress up my baby dolls and make them look pretty.
9. I attend outdoor school - we are outside learning about nature every week - rain, shine or snow.
10. I'm pretty sure I was supposed to be born a mermaid.

Introduction

Well, hello there. It's been a minute, hasn't it? I originally started this blog as a place just for Marley and her stuff, but I think I'm going to share it with her. Isn't that nice of me? So, I'm Rachel and I'm Marley's mom. She's almost 9 now, can you believe it?

When this blog started, we were unschooling, or, technically in the throws of deschooling since she had been in preschool for several years. Since then, we have found a happy medium. Marley does really well with structure and I'm learning to provide that for her. We found a great little school in town (a PUBLIC school, even) where she can get all the socialization her little heart desires, participate in awesome things that I could never provide for her, like school musicals, painting classes, and more!

I hope to share our homeschooling, gardening and crafting adventures with you via this newly revived blog. I will also occasionally be sharing some of the items that I get to review for free or at discounted prices. I promise to always disclose when a post is sponsored, as well as provide you with a link in case you want to purchase the item yourself.

To kick off our fresh start, I will share a clip from Marley's class MuZooCal.  She's the flamingo. Yes, I made the costume. I hand stitched 15 feather boas to a skirt, and I totally deserve mother of the year for that one.

Unicorn Puzzle

 I loved putting together this puzzle. It was so much fun. When I'm doing a puzzle, I feel like I'm in the puzzle. It's amazing how puzzles can create an imagination. Puzzles are great. They will help inspire you to be yourself.

I Miss My Ballet Friends

Somebody misses her ballet buddies.