a tour of the coop with Ivar

Today the chickens got all settled into their new coop. But before we brought them outside, Ivar got to play a bit while his dad worked on a perch for the birds. That box sticking out on the side will be divided into three nesting boxes, and we'll lift the lid to get our eggs. The little square door on the other side is the chicken run that has a ramp leading to the great outdoors. The screens are for cross ventilation, and the front doors swing open so we can change the food and water (and the bedding every so often).

Rory made up his own plans and figured every part out as he went along. He blows my mind. Sometimes I rub my eyeballs with both fists and scratch my head and think I did marry a computer guy, right? So who is this guy?

The chickens are out there now and they love their new place. And after today I'm pretty sure the next item on the 'to build' list is a playhouse for Ivar with lots of doors and windows.

joyfully becca

When I tell people my blog is called Joyfully Becca I sort of cringe. I mean, I picked it, but I also have some issues with it. I imagine when people hear it they picture me twisting my pointer finger in an imaginary dimple on my cheek. Like I'm always happy. Always smiling and laughing and high fiving.

The truth is this: I am quite the half glass full kind of girl. Even when things are going poorly I will often think, "well, at least this will make a good story." I tend to enjoy life a lot. And I do tend to be joyful.

But I'm not always happy. I'm an emotional girl. But I have learned along the way that happy is the emotion and joyful is the choice.

Especially the last two months.  I can now see that this rough winter was a combination of a lot of things: some postpartum depression for sure, some seasonal affective disorder with winter blues, adjusting to life with two kids, lack of sleep and incredible anxiety over things out of my control. The combination was pretty awful.

March and April were not happy months. But I still enjoyed them. We tapped our trees during this time, we got our chickens, we watched Elsie become mobile, Ivar started asking to play with his little sister. Life was good, and looking back March and April were joyful.

I've been signing every email and letter Joyfully, Becca since my junior year in high school. I completely stole it from my best friend Heidi who also signs everything this way. Heidi is my role model in all things joyful. We still laugh about a stressful day in high school when she told me, "You gotta choose joy, Bec." And I lashed out at her, "You want me to choose phoniness Heidi?!! Because I'm not joyful!"

But Heidi understood joy was a choice. I didn't have to be happy. But I could still choose to rise above whatever high school drama I was living that day. The earlier we learn this lesson, the better.

The source of joy comes from knowing Jesus and knowing exactly whose I am. Especially when I am walking through so many identity changes all at once (becoming a mother, moving to a new town, still finding my footing through it all) it is a great relief to always know whose I am. I am Christ's. And that knowledge right there, is joy.

So here's to joy. And to choosing it for yourself.

Joyfully,
Becca

a rainbow cake for sonnashine

My freshman year of college, I was assigned work study in the cafeteria. The first day I showed up in this room with fifty other students and they started calling out areas they needed help in. "The Grill. The Wok. The Pasta Station. The Bakery." And up my hand flew. So then five of us went to the bakery and they listed off other tasks, "Cookies. Bars. Cake Decorating." I was the last to pick and they said, "we'll put you on cake decorating."

It was awesome. I had a whole counter with every color imaginable. I had five gallon buckets of frosting all around me and a list each time I showed up of students who had a parent order them a birthday cake. There was every tip you could imagine for the piping. There was every color frosting in the world. It was like a little playground for me.

Only trouble was that I had no idea what I was doing. And those first cakes were horrendous. I had a great time making them, but my lesson was brief and the bags felt huge and I was awkward. My signature cake became one with confetti and big balloons because once the bag hit an air pocket and burst unplanned frosting all over my cake, I had no choice. Confetti and balloons covered all.

No one knew I was the cake decorator and I always thought that was a good thing. And no paying customer (the parents) ever saw the cake they paid for. Another good thing.

All this to say, I kept thinking about my days in the Gustavus bakery as I decorated this cake because this one, though it took time, was so easy to decorate. I used a large tip and made little imperfect circles, just going for texture and color. It's my favorite cake I've made. And has my head swimming with new ideas for the next one.

It took four recipes of Aunt Jan's cream cheese frosting. It took two white cake mixes to make the six layers. It took one day to make. It took seven minutes and thirteen six year olds to consume. And it was awesome.

I was planning on pastels on the inside, but wow that food gel is potent. I kept trying to use less and less but it wasn't meant to be. For the frosting I figured out how to just use a toothpick drop of color for each layer, and that gave me the pastels I was going for.

Sonna was my perfect client. She was thrilled and told her thirteen kindergarten friends, "Everyone has to close their eyes when my aunt cuts it, because there is a surprise inside! Ready. Close them!"

So Happy Birthday Sonna! We love you so much. You are the perfect colorful personality to have such a colorful rainbow cake.

tonight at bedtime

Me: Ivar, tomorrow is a very special day called Mother's Day. Who is your mother?

Ivar: Elsie.

Me: Nope.

Ivar: Baby Elsie.

Me: I am your mother. Your mama is your mother and tomorrow is a special day to say, "good job mother."

Ivar: Oh. (quick pause) Who's my dadder?

I kid you not. Verbatim. Stood up to write it down as soon as it was said. 

***

And now, for some awesome Motherly Wisdom from years ago, click here.

sneak peek at the chicken coop

We've got a fun weekend ahead including a dance recital, two birthday parties, church, mothers day and finishing the chicken coop. That would be quite the mothers day gift: to see my six sweet chickens find a new home in the great outdoors so I can get my downstairs bathroom back. 

I'll leave you with a picture of Elsie, showing me that chicken feet are not scary and I don't need to fear them. Thank you brave Elsie. I am so proud to be your mama.

this is happening right now...

This is what is happening in my kitchen right now.  It's my dream come true in birthday cakes, half way done. A rainbow cake with rainbow frosting, special request from the birthday girl Sonna. Since the moment Sonna asked me if I'd make her a rainbow cake, my thoughts have been dreaming of this beauty. And now she's coming together. It's tedious and requires a lot of cleaning between each color of the rainbow, but my oh my is it lovely.

You may remember I made my first rainbow cake for Sara and Lisa. And they seemed to love it. I was pregnant with Ivar at the time.

I made my first rainbow cupcakes last year for Sonna's fifth birthday. I was pregnant with Elsie at the time.

This time around I am not pregnant, but while trying to bake all six layers of Roy G. Biv goodness with both kids awake, I sort of realized how much easier this rainbow cake thing is without a two year old helping and a 9 month old crying out for attention. It was a bit more challenging this time, hence the frosting late into the night while the kids are sleeping. A much better idea.

a family picture

Behold. You are looking at the only five pictures we have of the four of us since Elsie was born. Thousands of pictures have been taken, but only five of just the four of us. And none of them are winners. They're decent, but as I told Rory, "if one of us were to die tragically, the real tragedy would be that the other would have to frame one of these five and look at it the rest of their lives..."

Did you notice my side bar? It only took me nine months to update our family picture to include Elsie! Hooray! And I added a few quick links to our chickens, maple syrup, the grovestead and my yearly favorites. It's been a long, long time since I've done any blog updating and it feels good. Enjoy!

spring has come again

Well it is a new week and I am in some euphoric happy place that I like to call the land of lovely weather. For as low as I felt with the snow one week ago, I think I feel just that high now that it is gone. It is unbelievable how these warm days with green grass have helped with moral around here. 

Today I got to drive the truck to Bloomington where I spoke at our old church for their women's bible study. It went really well and was so fun to see lots of friends that I have been missing since we moved. I had lunch with one friend and went to another's to pick through her garage sale items for tomorrow and I was just so grateful to be out and about, reconnecting. Plus, I love driving the truck. It;s fun to drive and it has a tape deck and crank windows. So I cranked those windows down and took in the lovely day. 

Today we are painting the chicken coop because the coop finally could be finished once the snow melted. And let me tell you it is time to move the girls outside. They are a stinkin up the place. And they're so big now. Pictures and an update on the coop to come. 

and it's a new week

I have watched a whole lot of Sound of Music this week and I heard Maria sing the words I most needed to hear. She said she had confidence that spring will come again.

All four of us got the stomach flu this week...Ivar on Monday night, Elsie on Wednesday night, Me on Friday and Rory on Saturday. Between the flu and the snow, we are quite glad to see this week come to an end.

And now, looking outside, I am confident that spring will come again! The snow is melting today. I'm hoping it is all gone by tomorrow. And the best part? The grass that is visible again is BRIGHT green.

Spring has come again. Thank goodness.

***And tell me how awesome that last line is, "despite what you see, I have confidence in me." That is quality writing.

the silver lining

My top strength is Positivity, so let's give this a whirl. On the plus side, it is the kind of snow that takes gorgeous pictures. It's the heavy stuff that won't be around for long. The perfect snow for snowmen, snow forts and snow caterpillars.

Also, we're glad that no one was in the baby swing when that big branch came down. That's a good thing. Another good thing is that we just got a chainsaw. And since we can hear lots of big branches falling out in our woods, that'll be put to good use.

And for the kids of our town, this has been a record setting year for school being cancelled. And so that's fun. Snow days are awesome.  Even my bible study was cancelled this morning, which was nice for me since Elsie was up all night with the violent flu. But she's napping now and has kept a bottle down so that's looking brighter too.

Oh, and we just completed our last batch of sap in our evaporator (pictured with the cylinder cement block chimney) so it is okay that it is covered in snow again.

All in all, it's looking like we'll spend another day on the couch, this time watching the new John Deere Tractor dvd Ivar picked out at the library last night. A lay low day, we call it.

And that's my best attempt at positivity. The bottom line: we know this stuff can't stick around for long!

april reflections: the long winter

This is what it looks like out our window right at this moment and it's likely to continue throughout tomorrow. And guess what? It actually did snuff my May Day joy. I didn't really mean for it to happen, but between my upset tummy and the accumulating white stuff, I just gave up and we watched The Sound of Music all day long. Thankfully this day began with a lovely conversation with my old neighbor Kathryn, who told me she made a may day cake for the staff at the elementary school where she volunteers "since it is just a bit too much work to make each staff person a basket." :)

***
Well,  it has been a long winter. But when you compare this winter to Laura Ingalls' Long Winter, there are some differences. For example, we're not binding corn husks together because we ran out of coal for our only heat source. And we're not grinding our wheat in a coffee mill in order to make brown bread. And we don't wake up with snow on our quilts because the roof isn't sealed. And we're not starving to death. So that's good.

But it has been a long winter.

Rory and I went to an event a few weekends ago where we spent two entire days outside. It was about forty degrees one day and thirty the next. But we dressed for it, and I felt great. It was so good to be outside for that much time and a good reminder that I really should get cross country skis or snow shoes for next winter. I think that would help me get outside for longer stretches of time.

**So I'm not super reflective this month. But you can click on the following to read my January Reflections, February Reflections and March Reflections all inspired by my 2013 word of the year: Reflect.

the ooo yay yay

When the weather turned lovely last Friday, we put Elsie on a blanket like we always used to do with Ivar. He lived on that blanket and would never venture off of it. Ever. But Elsie is a mover. Within thirteen seconds she was off the blanket and bringing little sticks and rocks to her mouth.

So out came the pack and play. As Elsie seems to always do, she made that pack and play look so fun that her brother insists he be in it too. He calls it the ooo yay yay and it cracks me up. He can say pack and play, but this is sort of his fun name for the fun that is about to be had in the ooo yay yay.

The nice thing about the pack and play is that it has wheels, so we can keep moving Elsie around from project to project. And as the sun moves, we move her with the shade.

We've been playing hard outside these past glorious days. I went to town on the lilacs. Rory bought two apple trees to plant at our entry, which led to me thinking I should rip out the hosta bed, which then led me to think I should take out the rock by the shed so I can transplant a few hosta by the shed. Which then led me to think I should take the plastic out from under the rock by the house because it looks a bit tacky when it's visible. My folks were out and went gang busters on the grove/ditch. My dad had scratches on his arms so bad that I cannot post the picture on this blog. But believe me, they left with battle wounds.

Ivar has the flu. We had a horrendous night last night, up for hours on end holding my little dry heaving boy who kept crying, "hold Ivar, Mama." Oh, sweet boy. Today I felt like I was getting it so the whole family enjoyed a diet of bananas, special toast, apple sauce and took it easy.

And now I'm off to bed. But just a quick reminder, tomorrow is May Day! One of my very favorite days of the year. There are rumors of a "wintery mix" coming our way. But no sleet or snow is going to snuff my May Day joy. You got that?!!! I will be leaving little baskets of popcorn and candy at my neighbors, even if I do have to wear my winter boots to get there!

Tomorrow is Grasshopper Day!

Okay, so I am making up my own holiday. But I am so excited to recognize this day. We are going to celebrate with peppermint bon bon icecream and thin mints.

Here's the deal. I have been captivated, mesmerized, engrossed in the family history book my Aunt Jan put together. There are pictures and stories and fun facts that keep my jaw dropped most of the time.

But by far, my favorite story in the book is about The Grasshoppers.

You have to read this:
"The grasshopper plague (Rocky Mountain Locusts) which fell upon the Minnesota frontier in 1873 and 1874 threatened complete destruction to the early settlement (my great grandpa Carl's settlement that he farmed with his dad in Dunnell, Minnesota...then Lake Fremont Township) In 1877 and 1878 the hoppers spread over the entire western part of the state. They took everything in the gardens, destroyed most of the corn, oats and wheat. They were especially fond of timothy and the scattered plots of tobacco. They would come down like a snowstorm until the ground was nearly covered. In 24 hours everything was stripped. They even got into the houses unless doors and windows were kept closed. They usually stayed two or three weeks. They bored holes in the ground and deposited eggs in a square foot of ground. Many means of fighting the pests were tried, including paying bounty for catching and destroying the hoppers but all human means seemed in vain.

"Many settlers lost faith in the future of the country and left. In the spring of 1877, after seeing the fields stripped again the people turned to God for help. Governor Pillsbury was petitioned to appoint a day of fasting and prayer for deliverance from the pests, which he did on April 27th 1877. The church people gathered in their respective churches and joined in prayer.

"Their prayers were heard. In the early summer when the wings of the grasshoppers had grown and they were strong enough to fly, they all at once rose into the sky, darkening the sun by their numbers, and left for parts unknown. Sailors on the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean are said to have found millions of the insects floating on the waters. They had flown away without depositing any eggs and so the Minnesota frontier was saved."

What a story! Can you imagine the surface of those waters? Just covered in dead grasshoppers. And that they all left like that, all at once, before laying their eggs. Incredible.

So tomorrow I am going to eat something minty and chocolatey and think about the wonder of an entire state praying and fasting and the miracle that followed when their prayers were heard.

(And, yes, I see the irony of eating chocolate cookies on a day recognized for fasting. But wouldn't Grasshopper Day be much more likely to catch on if we include mint chocolate brownies or mint bon bon icecream cake?!!)

Elsie with the giggles

Elsie got in the swing tonight for the first time in her life. As you can tell, she adores our neighbor friend Hannah, and she loves to swing.

elsie swinging from Becca Groves on Vimeo.

Here's a video from about a year ago when we got the swing and Ivar had the same reaction. (He is 10 months older than Elsie in his swinging video.)

the lovely ladies, four weeks old

Zumbrota continues to impress with her feathered feet. 

I often get the strong sense that Butterscotch Cookies wants to eat me.

Eggs is going through an awkward adolescence.

I have no idea, but I'm thinking Almonzo is a boy. Which makes me sad, because we were going to call her Almonza if she was a girl. And that would have been awesome.

Legos is still Ivar's favorite. 

In this picture I think Hamburgerpoopedonthecarpet looks a lot like 

those rubber chickens clowns throw at people.

The ladies got a huge box thanks to our neighbor who bought an electric jack hammer. 

Rory made them two levels to perch and at one point we found all six ladies side by side on the taller perch. It was adorable. But I couldn't get to the camera before Ivar got to the chicken box. 

Zumbrota found a third perch tonight: the top of the box. I think we're going to have to use some chicken wire to keep the girls in the box until the coop is completed. We may use the same on Ivar's crib, who had a victorious escape tonight and found his dad in the garage while Elsie and I were out with friends.

Rory asked, "Did you fall out?" "yeah." "Did it hurt?" "yeah."

this and that: tiny stories to share

+Ivar loves it when we're driving and we see "a truck with a little hat on it!" We've got a Napa Auto Parts nearby and so we see those trucks with little hats a lot. Above is Ivar's attempt at putting a little hat on his own truck.

+When we put Ivar to sleep we sing him two songs. The song choices are varied: Country Roads, Jesus Loves the Little Children, Jesus Loves Me, Love Him in the Morning, Leaving on a Jet Plane. Come to think of it, it's a pretty equal mix of Jesus and John Denver. Anyway, the current favorites are Love, Love, Love...that's what it's all about and a Rory-original called Ivarwiess (a remake of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic, Edelweiss) Rory sings: Ivarwiess, Ivarwiess, every morning you greet me. Small and white, clear and bright, you look happy to meet me...

+Here's a picture of the Brussels sprouts I enjoy a few times a week. I wrote a loosey goosey version of the recipe here. Usually I use deli ham and string cheese, but bacon makes everything better. It's a pretty picture isn't it?

+If you ever want to get Rory all riled up, talk to him about the current state of... ice cream. Something is happening in that industry so that it is nearly all reduced fat or whipped. Rory wants full fat, creamy, ice cream. But ice cream makers everywhere seem to be lessening the cream in their recipes and Rory is not fooled.

+At farm class the other night they brought in baby goats that were four days old.  The presenter passed around her own home made goat cheese and then I got to hold one. Suddenly goats have been added to the list of: one day at the Grovestead.

+In the meantime, we will just have to enjoy our neighbor's adorable puppy. Bandit is a new favorite friend around here and has even made it into the bedtime prayers line up. I'm sure Bandit appreciates the prayers.

+For my very first time ever, today I used the drive thru pharmacy at Walgreens. As I sat in my car I thought, wow, this is so handy and wondered why I've never utilized this service before. I think I'm like a decade behind.

I love this picture of Elsie with her Mimi and Papa on Easter Sunday. Mimi and Papa took care of our kids this weekend and it was awesome. I feel like I got some motherhood mojo back. And Ivar cannot stop talking about his time at Mimi and Papa's and how he got to play with Papa's trucks.

Donald Miller has been posting all sorts of good stuff lately. I enjoy his writing so much. I just started Storyline and I can't wait to work through this workbook.

At the beginning of this month we got in a few visits with the Groves cousins It was wonderful and it made me so sad that we no longer get to see them every single Sunday morning at church. Moving away from that consistent family together time was a real loss for me and for my kids. 

Our little fluffy chicks are getting bigger and bigger. At some point in the near future I believe we will have to start calling them chickens. Just look at Hambugerpoopedonthecarpet!

We have had three or four Sugar Snows. When we decided to tap our trees this winter we thought it would be a fun thing to try. But since this season is one for the record books, we have turned into a full-on maple syrup operation. At the moment we have over 80 more gallons of sap waiting to be evaporated. And every bag hanging on every tree is overflowing. Rory is out by the fire right at this moment. And will be for a few days...

And finally, Ivar is really into deciding who is who in each of his books. He'll point to the people and tell me "there's Ivar, and there's baby elsie, and there's mama and there's daddo!" This line up made me laugh out loud. That's Baby Elsie with the black and blue pony tail. Ivar is Elmo, I'm the teacher and Daddo is that purple monster muppet in front. I double checked to be sure he didn't mean the blue faced preppy guy next to the purple monster, but no, Ivar was sure, that purple one with the healthy sized eye brows is Daddo.