hump day nuggets: little bits of the season in photos and words about the last week
June and July are months of coming and going for the Holt Cline family. So we’re saying hello a lot and we’re saying goodbye a lot. Except bug says, catch you later crocigator. And in between those hellos and goodbyes there’s the Missoula love fest that includes bar-b-ques with friends, spontaneous urges for a shared beer, toes dipping in rivers and hands pawing at dirt.
nuggets.
:: Goodbye messy house, hello beautiful yard.

Above is bug’s new favorite activity. Mama, I gotta get all my toys in here right now.
I added them to the Flickr Curated Mess Pool.
Remember how we had no lawn because of our chickens and then all that dandelion pulling I did? Check it bitches:

:: Goodbye rhubarb, hello radish.
These seeds were a gift from a dig reader in honor of Ruby. And, they are the perfect radish: tender and crunchy with a spicy kick. Thanks, Tammi!
Sliced up, sprinkled with salt. Oh heaven.

:: Goodbye rain rain rain, hello peas.

I harvested four pounds of peas last year. This year, I am estimating we’ll get six.

:: Goodbye infant, hello about-to-crawl Ruby.


Who loves loves loves prunes, avocado, nectarine, whole milk yogurt, apple pear sauce, yams, oatmeal…my little foodie peanut punkin sweet potato pie.

ps One of the top ten baby items we can’t live without: our itty food mill. We haul it all around with us and make our baby food wherever we are.
:: Goodbye trucked-in California produce, hello freshly-harvested Montana produce.
KILLER recipe that I made up all by myself: Quinoa with Tarragon, Corn and Arugula

1 cup quinoa
1 cup frozen corn
Juice from 1 lime
2 tablespoons olive oil
two fist-fulls arugula
2 tablespoons chopped tarragon
1/4 cup chopped chives
salt and pepp
Prepare the quinoa, thaw the corn. Let quinoa cool to room temp. Mix olive oil, lime juice, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add tarragon, chives and arugula and mix well. Toss with quinoa and serve immediately. Serves two as a main course or four as a side.
This was so fabulous we ate it one night and then I made it again for a friend the next night and doubled the batch so we could eat it for lunch the next day. SO GOOD.
:: Goodbye hen who laid eggs, hello wanna be rooster.
Since the chicken massacre, Paige hasn’t laid an egg. And then, we started hearing crowing after we got our new chicks. We waited and watched to see which of our new hens was a he but, lo, it was Paige. Paige our full grown hen. I googled it and, yes, this happens. Nature is amazing. However, we are now ready to have our girl back…crowing roosters aren’t allowed in city limits…although, as Andy said, Who’s going to turn us in? The neighbor who shoots squirrels? See for yourself:
:: Goodbye hilarious two year-old, hello even more hilarious two and a half year-old.
We talk a lot about feelings with Margot. We talk about how situations make her feel, make us feel, make our animals feel, make her friends feel. We validate feelings and move through them. Our goal is to raise compassionate children who are kind and emotionally articulate. (there is a fabulous game, Feeleez, that facilitates this kind of interaction.)
ANYWAY, the other morning over granola and coffee, Margot spontaneously started making different faces associated with different feelings and announcing each one. Now I’m sad! Now I’m mad! and so on. Oh, I was crying I was laughing so hard. And, very grateful I had my camera handy. I literately took over 50 photos and these are a few of my favorites.

^ scared/angry ^

^ very angry/very happy ^

^ excited/sad ^

^ happy/frustrated ^

^ silly/happy ^

^ She didn’t identify this feeling for me but I think it’s love. ^
Catch you later crocigators.
25 Comments
VERY cute….ALL of it! xoxo
love the faces photos…my 3 yr old is into that these days 🙂
Quinoa has been my favorite food lately, I’m making it all the time. I will try that recipe!
All cute pictures! I love the naked butt picture! 🙂 It’s so funny but we have a crowing hen too! She started crowing after one of our hens died. I think they are smarter than we give them credit for! Luckily, our hen only does a half crow kind of thing….like clockwork every morning at 5 am!!
Oh my God – the face pictures of Bug and the series of Rubes in the Adirondack chair – just the bomb-dot-com!
Ruby could not be any cuter. cute, cute, cute! I love the shots of her against the wooden slats.
I wonder what you’ve found out about hens turning to roosters. How does that happen? we have 4 bantam wyandottes. At about 10 weeks we clearly “sexed” them as 3 girls and 1 boy. We brought the boy back to the farmer to give a 4her and he was 100% confident that we had 3 remaining girls. now one of them is a rooster. Very clearly she has changed to a rooster. Now its not the same. the girl was not laying and maybe we were just wrong about our observation… but my hubbie and i said, let’s wait on bringing him back so that we can make sure we have the 2 girls.
lastly, can’t wait to check out the feeleez game. I’ve begun talking with my Ben about his 22 mo old feelings. good stuff.
What kind of lens are you using with your Margot feelings photos? beautiful!
Thanks for all the lovely nuggets.
between the slobberist kiss a mama has ever gotten from “the boy that will not sleep” and this post … i’m crying. blame hormones if you will. its all just lovely chaos …isn’t it?
and my word verification word is wuper … which is just kinda super and wonderful all rolled up.
I want your garden soooooo bad! All we have had in seattle is crappy rain, rain and more rain. with a sliver of sun. Thank god we are heading to Kalispell(crystal lake) for some much needed montana time. I miss that state/mind so much.
your blog is such a treat for me. It reminds me so much of home and my bff Lisa who still lives in Whitefish. how i cant wait to get home. The 12 hour drive is worth it!! Even with 3 kids under 5 and a big black panting dog.
Thank you!!
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Ahh…love the Margot “emotion/feelings” pics. What a funny, lovely gal you have. I also adore Ruby in the wooden chair. Her personality is really starting to shine through in the photos you take. Love it all…and all the fresh food, too! Great Nuggets..xoxo
I love:
Bug
Grass, bitches!
Ruby’s hair!
Crowing hen?
Faces
Crow, Paige, crow! That’s my girl.
And where did that red headed little girl in the chair come from. She is freakin’ cute. I can’t wait to meet her.
And faces. I am amazed by the faces. I can’t wait to meet an articulate and feeling-ful Margot, who says more than, “No!”
And I love hello naked bottoms.
Cute world you are sharing with us, as always. xo
I loved this post!
Love the feelings pics! I can just hear her going,’Rrrrrrrrrrr! I’m mad!’ We dig that game out sometimes over here, and it’s such a hoot hearing her say that. Probably bcuz she doesn’t ever seem mad!
Just a quick Hello….off to the greenhouse….I’ll be back!
xoxo, Mom/Gram
So so cute! Love it all. xo
Oh those girls for yours. Margot has her emotions down pat. I really like “very angry”. Nothing better thatn the hairy eyeball from a 2.5 year old. Your yard looks really nice. This was fun as usual. Hope to see you in Helena this month. xoxo
i’m gonna have to say that naked bum picture is the best!
happy holiday weekend to you…
aaahhhh! what a great post! margot in the peas?? YES! if you ever look at my blog, you know how much my cosmo loves them peas.
and, it looks like you grow enough peas. i never do. next year, i will!
than quinoa dish looks yummy. need to try it. maybe i can manage to have arugula and corn ready at the same time?
love this post!!
you could publish margot’s feeling faces into a poster!! xoxo
Grass Bitches by far was the comment to make me blurt out loud with laughter! You rock.
I love all of the faces. Pee in your pants worthy, really. And now I have to check out Feeleez for my 2 yr old…who is an amazing chatter box now.
Keep enjoying summer. Gotta love it. Thanks for sharing.
-Jennifer
jen: I love your “wuper” definition! A slobbery baby kiss does me in too…
kyndale and Wrightman fam: Ack with these confused hens! I don’t know what to do…Paige is LOUD and frequent…as in, she starts crowing around 6 and crows several times per hour into the afternoon!
Great post!!! I miss Montana summers!
Oh my heavens : ) Love every picture in this post. Pure delicious summer goodness! Wishing you a wonderful 4th of July weekend that is filled with fireworks and penguin water : )
i really need to see you. i can’t believe the last time i saw margot she was tiny and i held her in that hippie restaurant in SF. also do you think it’s going to be fun that ruby is going to have super red hair and be named ruby and people are going to be like, hey, are you named ruby because you have red hair?
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