Helping and Other Random Bits

This past weekend, my parents and sister Andee headed up to Syracuse for an alpaca show.

That left me to clean the poop. Oh joy.

I can't complain though. With some helpers, it's not all that bad.

And you get to spend some quality outdoor time in this beautiful weather with beautiful animals.

My poop cleaning boots sit outside the door and Chase keeps telling me,

Alpaca Poop!??!!! He loves to help. Can't wait until he is old enough to really help.

Won't my mom be happy??!!

We are participating in a Nature Box Exchange.

I read about it over here and joined right in. We were matched up with a family in Oregon.

So we took a walk around home, Allaire State Park and the beach to collect

things from nature, identified them, packed them into an egg carton and we'll be mailing it off this week. The family in Oregon is doing the same thing and will be mailing us a box.

My kids are looking forward to see if they have any of the same things as we have here or will it all be different and new?

Pretty view of Spring Lake....drove over for some design inspiration.

 Nature collecting.

New alpaca/silk yarn dyed by Liz!!! Isn't it beautiful?!! It will be on sale at the farm.

 

 Mr. Wade playing in his "fort"

Little buddies. Cousins that are like brothers.

Andee's starfish hat pattern! I knitted up one in some Brooklyn Tweed Shelter yarn in the Faded Quilt color way. So cute! Pattern link Here: Squishy Starfish Hat

So, random things all in one place....

I also want to mention that today marks the one year anniversary of Superstorm Sandy.

I remember it all like it was yesterday as I'm sure many others do. I am thankful for our house, the fact that the giant tree fell the other way...this day a year later...our heat being on, electricity, phones, computers, hot showers...all the things we didn't realize we cared so much about!

I know that many people are still out of their homes and there is constant rebuilding going on around our towns. Things are very different this year for good and bad...and hopefully we'll never see a storm like that again!!!!