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8.31.2009

my addiction....

hello my name is Anne Marie, and I have a dried floral addiction........

chive blossoms, black-eyed susans, hydrangeas, my mother's roses, little bouquets the children pick from the garden as gifts to their Mama (big smile)

even in these apothecary bottles are bark, coral bell blossoms, and fragrant rose petals....
and of course, lavender....

instead of heirloom silver and pottery on my buffet in the dining room, here dries
heirloom vegetable seeds, prairie flowers, wildflowers, annuals, etc....

~and this certainly is just but a glimpse of what I preserved this last few weeks~
I have so much more to learn in preserving flowers.....and in the meantime, the aroma in the house, is that of a summer well tended in the garden......
yes, I'm addicted

don't forget to let some of your veggies go to seed and save them for next year, or use the seeds from some great market produce....................

8.30.2009

B&W Sunday...

small town parades......
diverse......
full of culture...........

and well, just a lot of fun......

we all had a great time
more participants in B&W Sunday.............
thank you ladies!

8.29.2009

in the dining room....

finding this antique birdcage and stand at a nearby farm sale

not only suited my budget, but also fit just so, within

the corner of my dining room

......with a few cut hydrangeas and flowers (of russian sage and goldenrod)



~hope you are enjoying your weekend~


8.28.2009

I just wanted to let you all know, that I have out of town guests and simply do not have time to post -

will be back in a few ;)
blessings.

8.27.2009

Observe........and think

birds in history often times were messengers....
(above picture I call 'Prayer')

more specifically, in the Bible...

oh I know what you are thinking: here comes a speech on Christianity......
no no no
this is purely research, so to speak, and two topics which I adore; nature and God.......

Most of you have heard about the biblical account of Noah's bird..........or maybe the ravens bringing food into the dessert.......

observation of nature is a part of one's religious practice, no matter what religion it may be

Let's observe the birds' habits......
*this post is a fantasy in spirit and imagination....these photographs of this awesome home are not of my house (I wish)*

but let's take a walk around back..........
Here.......why don't we go in.......the air is a bit chilly...................

come sit in the study with me and


let's pour ourselves into some good books.......





*don't forget your glass of _____*


Let's look at their movements......

How quickly, almost nervously, birds move, hardly resting long enough to be distinctly seen!

When observing birds, they suggest the thoughts which most commonly fly around incessantly through the mind....

think about all the mental pictures and conceptions-ideas we all can relate to that seem to race after one another, in quite a rapid succession....


Can we do this observation with any other animal?
there's a pot of tea on in the parlor now................
follow me......
are you still with me?...........
Here we are
I'll sit on the rocker in the corner,
and you can sit on the love seat............
okay, where were we......
ah....can we observe this in any other animal..........
let's take the horse:
Step by step, the horse will carry you (like your affection), with training and very hard work on both parties (you and the horse) into a new state of reasoning,
or into a brand new state of your life.
Considering the bird doesn't even attempt to carry you, and cannot, it, in it's simplicity, gives
you just an idea of another state of your life..........like life in heaven, where the love you show are towards both your Lord and your neighbor

~never try to cease exploring your inner thoughts~
you may just be surprised what comes to mind
~all photographs in this post were taken by me, Anne Marie, of Na-Da Farm~

8.25.2009

The CCClub........

It's too hilarious to me this CCClub........because I'm so jealous!!! Here my daughter is having an overnight with some "suburbanite chicks" and she takes over my beloved corn crib! Which I wanted to do instead of the so called "aviary" that it has become..........oh, my husband has big plans raising falcons and hawks.......but I'm getting meat birds, turkeys and hogs :) pigs can fly right?

So, they made pancakes themselves, after checking the hen house for eggs........
(I "supervised")....then we made a skillet of stuff they went out to the garden to pick; zucchini, beans, onions, herbs.......wonderful job girls.......wonderful..........
anyhow, back to the club.............they came in wanting some 'things' to spruce it up, and I was ALL to willing to help give it to them......I didn't put up a thing, but I love what they did!!

seriously? these girls are so cute......

let's go take a look inside!!!!........

Their cowgirls hats that they nailed (so cute) up on the old fence that is just leaning up there........

this always freaks me out a bit, up so high, but how can I refuse?....well, I could, but why???
their details up there were so simply chicly rustic (that's high tech terminology for you who don't know interior decorating terms)......hee hee............

vintage doll clothes, and the girls' toy ironing board.......they even had a pulley system for hauling things up and down............



these girls were outside having a blast on the farm from sunup to sundown........

they made soup from the garden by squeezing tomatoes into a juice, adding herbs, green and yellow beans and scallions.....they were surprised to know they made a gazpacho! it was delicious, and having them here was so sweet......


p.s. when we first picked up the girls, one said: "well....I'm moving to the farm" and little precious said "great! now you're my sister!!" ......at time of leaving the one who said the above cried when saying goodbye....

I fought back the tears......how can you have too many children around?

life is grand! because of them......

grand indeed......

and I absolutely LOVE sharing my Na-Da Farm life with them and you.....

peace and blessings,

8.24.2009

A warm welcome to all my new readers....
I'm so glad you stopped by
I don't have time to talk today........I home school the children, and time is ticking! We start in just a few weeks, (very soon), and I need to attend to "the school stuff"
~hope you are having a great Monday~

8.23.2009

Typical.....

A typical day........doing hair........reading..........an artist hard at work............
maybe a little music if the mood is right......


this is Sue......my favorite hen


and her beloved Sir Charles never too far away.........
a sleepover with the dubbed "CCClub"
(CornCribClub)
~ a delightful overnight stay on the farm that I will further post this coming week~


and Autumn Joy......
a typical afternoon at this time of year at Na-Da Farm.........
thank you for visiting the farm, and we'll see you soon........
OH: don't forget to visit these amazing ladies: