Snow Days

Monday night we started getting snow. Yesterday morning they cancelled school. We had maybe three inches but the forecast was for more and "wintry mix".

Snow Dog

We woke to this. They cancelled school last night about 9PM.

Sooo, this is today. It's beautiful and blinding. We were going to go sledding at the Reservoir but we couldn't make it out of the driveway. Once we hit the snow covered rock lane we were stuck. It took us 10 minutes to get unstuck and back to the garage. So, the boys are playing in the yard and on the hill.

This and That

Not much to write about these days. The whole "done with winter" attitude has taken hold of me. Not my boys though, they have been praying for a big snow. They want to go sledding and we need a big snow for that to happen.

I did post here the other day A Confession of Sorts

I've also started purging and organizing the upstairs. Today was my closet and tomorrow I'll finish it and move on to the Master Bedroom.

Wish me luck, if you don't here from me for a few days send a rescue team. LOL

I Am Second

Some friends of ours past this link onto us. I sat mesmerized listening to their stories. Check it out.

I Am Second

The Shack Giveaway

So, I finally made it through this book, not because it was a difficult read but just because of timing. I received it from Suzanne right around the Holidays and it sat there waiting for me until things slowed down enough for me to get to it.

This book made me cry and laugh. But it also made me ponder some ideas I hadn't really thought about before. It gave me a better understanding of God's love, mercy and grace. Whoever wins this book will be blessed by it I'm sure.

Suzanne's idea was The Sisterhood of the Traveling Shack. So, if you are interested in this endeavor please leave a comment on this post. If you blog about this giveaway let me know that too in the comments and you'll gain an extra chance to win. I will be drawing the winner on Tuesday January 20th @ 9PM.

Eggs, Chickens And Butter

Hmm, the title of this post could be some kind of recipe. But it's not.


This site makes me happy everyday. Even if it's dark and gray.

This was a total surprise. The egg wasn't huge or really even largish. But I cracked it open and out popped a double.

He is just so handsome and shiny.

Some of the girls outside for some scratch. Hmmm, what's that over there on the left?

A closer look, I notice this occasionally on different girls. Hmmm, I think someones been taking a ride?

Here's the Butter part of this post. Here she is in sit and stay mode, trying really hard to stay.

And this is what happens when she's in sit and stay and I squat down to try to take a picture at a different angle.

And this is her trying to give me and the camera a great big kiss. This picture is sooo Scooby- Doo to me

Coop Improvement

I saw this grit/shell dispenser over at Farm Mom's blog a while back. That girl is always inspiring me with her ideas. I had C take a look and he said no problem. He had it together in no time and installed it right away. It works great and no more spilled grit or shell.

This Was A Challenge!

Farm Mom over at Children In The Corn has issued a challenge

Challenge: 4th picture folder, 4th picture

So, here's mine:

Mmmm, homemade applesauce. Something to look forward to next fall. All of these jars are empty now. I have lots in the freezer though. This fall I will check out the local orchard that I didn't' know about last fall. And hopefully I will have lots and lots of this on my pantry shelves.

Feel free to play along.

A trip to the big city

Today we ventured out of our comfort zone to the big city to the west of us. It takes a little under two hours to get to the big city and it takes just about forever to decide where to eat. LOL Since my surgery eating out has been an adventure. Finding things I can eat and enjoy has been a little difficult. Soup is a definite standby right now but I'm finding as long as I'm careful, eating small bites, chewing really well and slowly I can start adding things to my menu choices. We were looking for someplace that served soup or pasta and thirty minutes after we had reached our destination finally found an Olive Garden. Thank goodness for GPS.


There are lots of things to do there but we were just there to take care of some Christmas gift returns and exchanges. The biggest and most exciting part of our trip for all the men was to go to Cabela's. We stopped in at the Aeropostale store and exchanged a shirt for P, then it was off to Cabela's. I made it 30 minutes before I abandoned them for better shopping. I hit the Marshall's and found and purchased these. I've been looking for something like this to show off my hand knit socks. I got them for $25, originally $110, what a deal. We were also in search of a game for G. He's been on the "hunt" for this game since before Christmas. We finally found it at a Gamestop, twenty five minutes from our house. It was a good day, a little crazy with all the people, but still a good day spent with my men.

Happy New Year! 2009

Wow, a lot happened in 2008.

I'm looking forward to 2009. Lots of goals:

1. Finish our basement (by finishing it I mean actually starting the work so it's usable for family life) this will include: family room, bathroom, bedroom, storage room, utility room and the best thing a craft room for me.
2. Purge and Organize the upstairs
3. Continue with Piano lessons
4. Start exercising regularly
5. Two vacations: One will be the annual family trip up north the other will be just the four of us some place interesting.
6. Plan and execute a much larger vegetable garden
7. Set up a shop on Etsy and start selling my creations.

These are a few things, I may add to this list as inspiration and needs arise.

What Christmas is really about......

Cookie Baking

Today was the first day of Christmas break, soooo, we baked cookies. Peanut Butter Hershey Kisses Cookies, Rolo Cookies, and My Love Cookies (that's what my boys call them because the secret ingredient is love). We had plans to do sugar cookies and butter toffee cookies but maybe tomorrow instead. Perhaps tomorrow I will show you pictures of all the cookies, but not tonight because I am lazy and tired.

What to do with all these eggs......

So, we are getting a lot of eggs. Every other day is an eight egg day with the days in between providing 3-4 eggs. They are still on the small to medium size but for a family of four it's a lot of eggs. I'm giving my Aunt a dozen whenever she needs them, she's teaching me how to play the piano (we both think we are getting the better end of the deal, LOL). Once they pickup in size I have a friend at the library who is anxiously waiting to buy some.

In the meantime, I've got to figure out what to do with all these eggs.

Last night I made a spinach, bacon and potato frittata and it was enjoyed by everyone but G (he's seven, okay almost eight and still pretty picky). Tomorrow will be a cookie baking day, I'm quite sure I'll use up several for that.

I requested a few egg cookbooks from my library. Hopefully I will be inspired!

Maybe this will help.

Happy Birthday Farm Mom

Today is Farm Mom's birthday.

Everybody go wish her a Happy, Happy Day at Children in the Corn

A double yolk

Sorry for the glare. This egg was our first "bigger" egg and when I cracked it open there were two little yolks in there. No Danni, I didn't weigh it. Mainly because I don't have a scale here at home to do so. I'm waiting until after Christmas, just in case someone got the hint that I wanted a scale. ;0)

They Are Beautiful

Pick me, Pick me, Pick me

Wow, I left a comment and actually got picked for something. I've been reading blogs since 2005 and this is the first time I've gotten picked for something.

Suzanne's blog: At Home with the Farmer's Wife posted about The Shack. Lots of people around me have been mentioning this book so I thought why not and lo and behold she picked my name. Woot! Woot! I'm totally surprised and excited.

Soooo, stay tuned. I'll let you know when I get it and what I think when I read it then I'll have a post offering it to one of you!

These Boots Were Made For Muckin'

Here ya go Lisa ~

These are the boots I wear the most right now. When it's really moist.

In the sun.

My trusty closed toe crocs, this is what I use in the dryer times.

These are my fav. I lurve orange! I only use these in the summer for a quick trip out to the coop.

*and yes those are comfy house pants. ;0)

A Dozen or So

Well, it actually was a Baker's dozen but I had two eggs for breakfast. ;0)

This is interesting, huh? I've named it the bellybutton egg.

Recovery

Let me tell ya, it's tough recovering from surgery. I'm tired all. the. time. I walked out to the chicken coop this morning which helped my mood but left me sweaty and exhausted. All in all I'm doing really well. I can't eat much so I'm guessing over the next month I will lose some of this extra weight. ;0) That's something to look forward to. This surgery is very similar to some one getting their stomach stapled. So, I can eat a tablespoon or two at a time. Then I'm stuffed and have to wait a couple of hours to eat again. I'm eating like 6 to 8 times a day. But I'm eating an 1/8 to 1/16 of what I ate before.

I've learned a couple of things so far about myself: 1. I have a really hard time waking from anesthesia, when I had my appy 6 years ago, I don't remember having such a difficult time, but I wasn't under as long either. 2. Me and narcotics don't mix, I knew I didn't like codeine and always refuse it when offered by the Dr. but now I know vicodin isn't good either, and morphine makes me want to scratch my face off. So, they gave me ultram which I guess is just a step up from Tylenol but sure did the trick for me. No crazy completely relaxed body and hyperactive brain, no crazy hallucinations, no crazy psychotic dreams. Just pain relief and sleep.

I've also learned how much I show affection towards my boys and how difficult it is to do that right now. I guess I hug them A LOT! Because I can't do that very easily right now and they keep trying. LOL K, I'm off to rest, maybe knit a little and catch up on t.v. Cause I can't do much else.

Slow but sure

The eggs are coming in slow but sure. First egg on Saturday, then nothing until Tuesday-one egg. Wednesday-one egg. But today we got two eggs. This morning I heard them doing the egg cheer. Brawk, brawk, brawk, BEGAWK! Then when the boys got home from school there was another egg. I'm sooooo excited.

Health wise, I'm doing fine, slow but sure as well. ;0) I'm still sore in my shoulders, I'm told it's from the carbon dioxide they pump you up with. So, I'm dealing with that. I can only eat a little at a time, all soft foods. And I tire very easily. So, lots of napping. I'm looking forward to sleeping in my usual side position.