Did I say last month was my busiest month ever? Scratch that – October was even busier! I am so completely grateful, yet overwhelmed, that my business is blossoming after returning from maternity leave.  Its scary to take time off when you are a sole proprietor…there is no one else to ensure that I don’t get forgotten in the down time.  And that is oh so very scary.  Let’s be real here: I struggle with post-partum anxiety.  Maybe you know the feeling.  Back on September 1st I was worrying myself to death wondering how I would be able to do it, to support our family financially while Chad continued studying at Evergreen, to guide Avery with her home schooling, to meet the needs of my toddler and my infant.  I still worry about most of those things, but based on the incredible amount of newborns I have been able to meet and photograph these past two months I am not worrying (much) about being able to pay our bills.  It feels really good, for the first time in a long time.  Now, everything is by no means happening perfectly around the Brundage Homestead.  I stuck to my commitment to myself to let go of the garden for this season.  We don’t even go out in the backyard much, and when we do there is waaay to much dog poop and its hard to pick up while babywearing, so we leave for outside time more often.  In fact we leave often in general.  It is just what works.  No surprise here: it is hard to balance the needs of a toddler and infant and my big girl.  I can’t seem to be patient enough to stay a whole day home with the three.  So we do a lot of field trips. Visit friends. Plan classes and activities.  Go shopping.  Have you been grocery shopping with 3 kids?  Well if so then you understand it must be pretty stressful at home to prefer taking 3 kiddos to the grocery store.  Yep, I am still working on the ever elusive “balance” every mom wants. I have a pretty great plan for homeschooling this year and the weekly sheet I created for us to reference has been really helpful.  However in October we have struggled to complete all the lesson each week.  And this week we took a break from school all together.  Except the thing is you can’t really turn learning off.  So maybe we didn’t do as much reading or math lessons, but we did check out a new park nearby that is a hidden gem full of nature, worked in our nature journals, decorated our front porch for the season, and reorganized our homeschool nook by the dining table.  We’ll get back on track next month. Or not, and if we don’t that is ok too.

Besides the regular business this past month, we carved out a weekend to visit the Bullocks Permaculture Homestead on Orcas Island.  This place is amazing.  I need to go back several more time just to take it all in.  It was the perfect pause amidst all the busyness back at home.  The tour itself was lovely, despite a sudden downpour right after we started.  The amount of food growing unassumingly along every path and open space is amazing.  The thing that really stuck out the most to us was the openness of the Bullock family.  Sam Bullock was our tour guide – boy was he a fountain of knowledge.  And he has the cutest dogs that did tricks for us.  Sam talked to me about raising ducks and tips for building a root cellar.  His genuine caring struck such a chord with me, I find myself thinking about how he has inspired me with our future plans often. I wish we had more time after we returned to digest and discuss our tour, but it is funny how things change back just the minute the ferry docks back on the mainland.  Oh and in other exciting news, we happened to be on Orcas the same weekend and Write Doe Bay and met Nikki McClure one of my favorite artists.  She signed a book for the kiddos, then we ran into her at the ice cream shop where she was wondering if we knew anything about the strange crabapple given to her that was green on the outside and pink inside (we did not), and then on our ferry trip back home, who to I catch waving at us from the port side but the lovely Nikki again.  That is something to smile about.

The month we also ate out a lot.  I really struggle with this one.  Especially when eating out entails fast food.  It goes against everything I value.  But sometimes it just feels like the only choice.  See, definitely not perfect over here.  If you have known me for any amount of time, hopefully you notice how much easier I am on myself (at least I notice).  We have big dreams.  We maybe had to take a couple steps backwards for a little big, but we are getting forward moving again now and that is all that matters.  Baby steps are good.  I want need to start setting monthly homestead goals – goals to work on sustainable living, learning homesteading skills, accomplishing projects, gardening cooking seasonally, preserving food, and our business plan for the future.

A dream written down with a date, becomes a goal.

A goal broken down into steps, becomes a plan.

A plan backed by action makes your dreams come true.

-Greg S. Reid

My friend Rebecca before I did a family session at her farm 🙂 

Alder: 3 months

Orcas Island

Sam Bullock

Nikki McClure AND ice cream!

Last Farmer’s Market of the year. Yam tacos are fantastic!

Harvest Fest at Chad’s school.

What is favorite thing you have done this Fall? I would love to hear in the comments. Or if you just want to give me some love and support that is always great! Thanks for joining me again this month for an update on our life and adventures around the Brundage Homestead. Catch up on what has been happening the past few months here.