Bethany Craft Sale and other Fun

This has been a really fun weekend so far!  Yesterday we got to help celebrate the birthday of my friend Olivia with dinner and ice cream cake:

Then today, Olivia and I took part in our very first craft fair at Bethany Church.  Every year I've lived in Gallup I have really wanted to sell at this sale, but never had the time to prepare for it.  This fall, Benji's naptimes have been my craft times!  I made knitted sheep ornaments, "Thank Ewe" notes, and photo stationery:

Benji "helping" me get the lamb ornaments ready

Olivia lent me her beautiful Nicaraguan Christmas tree for the display which just worked perfectly.  We had a great day selling crafts and enjoying some baby-free girl time between customers!

This evening the fun continued with an early Thanksgiving dinner at our friends' house.  Benji got really jealous watching us eat that delicious food, so we slipped him a taste of sweet potatoes...I also had my first taste of green chile apple pie, which was fantastic!

We are getting very excited for the holiday season and a visit from Jonathan's mom, dad, and sister in about a week!  :)

A Great Visit from Mom, Dad, Emily, and Caroline!

Things seem really quiet around here now after a wonderful visit from my parents, big sister Emily, and darling niece Caroline.  They were here for over a week sharing in our life at Rehoboth!

As usual, our visitors went right to work volunteering at the book fair, the preschool, and the lunch hall.  Caroline got to experience school for the first time, riding a borrowed big-girl bike back and forth each morning!  She also loved visiting the playground on campus.

Benji at the Book Fair

One evening we took a great hike to Milk Ranch Canyon up in McGaffey with the Huizingas.  Caroline quickly made friends with Eddie--a budding romance, perhaps?

On another afternoon we went to visit a Navajo woman who weaves beautiful rugs from the wool from her own sheep.  It was fascinating to see her farm and I even got to give weaving a try!

Most of the time, though, we stayed close to home and just enjoyed little moments together: cuddling Benji, playing cards with Caroline, taking lots of walks around campus, eating Mom's delicious cooking...

How big is Benji?

Our visitors left on Thursday morning (taking train, bus, plane, and car back home--as Caroline would proudly tell you) and we are missing them like crazy!  Thanks so much for coming Mom, Dad, Aunt Emily, and Cousin Caroline!

Fabulous Fall

It's been a while since I posted, here is a very brief update on what's been going on for the Newmans so far this fall!

I am enjoying taking care of Benjamin, tutoring, babysitting, and crafting and baking at home.  Fall is probably my favorite time of year to be in the kitchen baking yummy treats with ingredients like pumpkin, apples, and caramel.  I recently found a recipe for heavenly salted caramel sauce, which made a great topping for this Apple Harvest cake!

 When Benjamin takes his naps, I have some time to prepare for my first experience selling at the Bethany Craft Fair (November 15).  Among other things, I am knitting these little lamb ornaments/toys.  Benji likes to play with the ones dangling over his crib:

Speaking of Benji, he is growing, smiling, laughing, and keeping us thoroughly entertained!  This fall he has been developing friendships...

 ...surviving his 4 month vaccinations...

...playing with Daddy...

...helping Mommy with the laundry...

... and discovering new toys!

Jonathan is having a good year teaching so far.  He has continued to develop his class website and standards-based grading system.  Last week, the high school had a big day of service in the community.  Jonathan's class went to volunteer at the Red Rock Care Center.  At the end of the day, all the students came back together to share their experiences.  In the second picture below you can also catch a glimpse of the lovely fall weather we've been enjoying!

This week is very exciting because Mom, Dad, Emily, and Caroline are coming to visit!  We can't wait to see them!!

France Pt. 2 -- Goat Milking and Sheep Chasing

The main focus of our trip to France was to experience working on an organic farm through the WWOOF program (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms). After searching the French farms directory and contacting multiple farmers, we were happy to confirm our stay with Françoise DuGaray and her family in Duriane, just outside of le Puy-en-Velay in the Haute Loire département.

  Françoise is an organic sheep farmer with an heritage breed of sheep called Brizet.  In addition to her flock of approximately 140 sheep and lambs, she runs a bed and breakfast in her family's 15th century château.  

  The home has been in her family for generations, and she and her husband have undertaken the difficult task of renovating and preserving the château, its many outbuildings and surrounding land.  This involves a huge amount of work--so we were happy to help out for two weeks with the animals, vegetable garden, and guest rooms!

On a typical day, we woke up around 7:30 for our first task: milking Nanny Goat! This was my favorite job...

  We then fed Nanny's milk to the seven orphan lambs.  They were so cute and friendly!  (After the orphans were sold, we learned how to use the milk to begin the cheese-making process). 

  Next, we gave food and water to the other lambs, the ram, and the ewes.  

  In the morning we would also spend some time weeding in the garden or cleaning the B&B rooms.

We often had time to relax or explore the town in the afternoon, then repeated the animal chores in the evening.  In addition to the sheep and Nanny Goat, we also got to know the family's two dogs (Belle and Daisy) and the cat (Pénélope).

 
We had a few adventures with the sheep... One sheep, which Françoise had lent to a family in town to  eat the weeds in their lawn, escaped and was wrecking havoc in people's gardens! We finally found the sheep and managed to catch it with the help of a friendly neighbor. On another occasion, We were trying to catch some ewes and I had one backed into a corner. It took a huge leap straight towards me and knocked me to the ground, where we wrestled until I managed to catch it by one leg!

   
Our sleeping quarters were in an outbuilding that was cleverly converted into a kind of cabin, with a cozy sleeping loft.

Overall, we could not have asked for a better WWOOFing experience! Françoise, her husband and four children were all so friendly, patient, and welcoming. We felt like a true part of the family, cooking and eating together, meeting their friends, etc.  I got to practice my French a lot, which was great! And we came to enjoy the slower pace of life there... Dinners often lasted two hours, with great conversation; a visit to a friend's house was never short, nor was it without a glass of wine or a cup of coffee.  Françoise has a special gift for welcoming people into her home and her heart...

In my next post I will talk about our visits in and around le Puy-en-Velay, as well as the visit from Jonathan's parents!