Ready to List

 I was back and forth to Strathmore a couple of times this week. Thank-goodness for family close by and able to watch the littles while we take care of some things. One night my Dad and I arrived back home in Rocky at 4:00am after a full day and night of scraping the ceiling in the basement so that we could re-do it. Thanks to a lot of help from family and a brother-in-law who knows how to fix ceilings, we were able to get it done! Every wall practically had to be repainted to get rid of nicks, finger prints, and pencil marks (that was my job). I also freshened up most of the baseboards with a fresh coat of white paint. After my dad left this morning I spent the entire rest of the day cleaning up, vacuuming and staging. It was so weird to be in our empty home all alone. It did not feel very homey at all. It was filled with echoes and felt rather empty without our family photos on the walls and children running around. I definitely shed a few tears tonight as we pulled away. Mr. Stannix and I were able to drive back to the acreage together in the evening. We stopped at Costa Vida for a much needed dinner (I hadn't eaten since breakfast). We hit snow and rain on highway two, saw lots of wildlife on the back roads, and were feeling pretty glum. We are pressing forward with faith that everything will work out, and that we are doing what the Lord wants us to do. Now, do you know anyone who wants to buy a beautiful home?

Capturing Light

When I woke up I looked out into the field and admired the frost, sparkling in the morning light. While the house was quiet, I pulled on my rubber boots and wandered outside to snap some pictures.

After saying hello to Mr. deer, I went back in to greet the littles and make a batch of waffles for breakfast. It turned out to be an absolutely beautiful day and we spent lots of time playing outside!

 Ollie discovered the overgrown sandbox and had fun digging around and getting dirty.

 Tonight we let the last of the sun's rays warm our faces as the autumn air nipped at our noses. The littles were filled with energy and needed to burn some off before bed. Despite the late hour, I let them play outside and enjoy. Someone suggested running around the acreage before bedtime. I followed them all and snapped pictures of the golden hour while they weaved in and out of the pine trees and past the field.

Capturing light fills my soul and left me feeling extra grateful for these littles and their strength and energy.

Sunday Snapshot

 Happy Sabbath!!

Be Thankful

This week my house still feels disorganized. There's boxes everywhere and we are making due with what we've got. I miss Mr. Stannix and my friends back in our old town. I've spent this last month taking things one day at a time, pushing away the tears and putting on a brave face. Most days I am able to look for the bright spots, and we have found a lot of joy here!

I do know that when I am thankful for all we have and those who are in our lives, I feel more at peace. Life is wonderful and we are so blessed to have what we do!

After school the kids couldn't wait to get outside in the sticky snow and build a snowman. They ended up working together and constructing a pretty great snow fort!

Our fluffy dog even enjoys being outside in the snow, though she's not a huge fan of the cold!

Happy Friday!

Winter has arrived

The snow decided to stick around and we woke to a glorious Winter wonderland! The kids bundled up in what little winter gear we had and trudged through the snow in their running shoes to catch the bus. 

The snow was wet and heavy and continued to fall most of the day. 

The little boys dressed in warm coats, toques and rubber boots and went outside to play. They jumped, threw snow, and even tasted it's coldness. Ollie was so excited about all of the fluffy white stuff!

In the late evening my Mom and I chopped a whole lot of tomatoes, peppers, and onions to simmer into Salsa! We stayed up way too late waiting for it to be done and putting it in jars.

I think it was well after midnight before we started to wind down and get to the end. I scooped some warm salsa into a dish and enjoyed dipping my tortilla chips for a midnight snack.

I fell asleep to the sound of lids popping as they sealed. These jars of salsa are always a treat in the dark months of Winter.

Harvesting

We woke to grey skies and chilly winds. The kind of wind that bends trees and makes the leaves dance from their limbs and swirl around the yard. I started a batch of bread after breakfast while the children colored together on the livingroom floor. We hustled to get everyone out the door on time to the bus and then chatted with Daddy on the phone while he drove in to work. When I had finished on the phone Fin looked at me and let out a frustrated sigh, "NOW can you help me play pipano?"

We had a slow morning finishing the bread, vacuuming the floors and tidying bedrooms. When I looked out the window I noticed a few flakes of snow swirling around with the leaves. The snow had arrived as promised. We spent the rest of the morning hurrying back and forth from the greenhouse, bringing in the produce before it got too cold. The snow surprised us coming so early and we were trying out best to get in as much of the harvest as we could. "I can see a pickle!" Fin yelled, as he looked up at the tall cucumber plant. His perspective from the ground helped us find a lot of hidden "pickles" which we piled into a box and brought inside.

While we worked, Fin chatted away. "I can see my breath! It's cold in here!" Fin exclaimed as we picked tomatoes from the vine. We had crates of tomatoes inside already, but wanted to make sure we didn't waste any. I think we calculated around 1200lbs of tomatoes this year.

Soon we had rosy cheeked boys, and drippy noses. We bundled in warm sweaters and jackets while the crisp air nipped our noses. In the afternoon the boys went up to the orchard with Gramma and Grampa to help do a quick pick of the apple trees.

While this cold snap stays we will be canning tomatoes and salsa and pasta sauce and whatever else we can create.

In the late afternoon I turned on the oven and made up some carrot, apple, zuchini muffins. We roasted a fresh chicken for dinner and ate it with garden potatoes. The best comfort food around.

Stormy Skies

This week has treated us to cool, Autumn evenings and gentle rains. I can't help but admire the contrast of the Fall leaves against the dark, stormy sky. I hear we have snow blowing in, due to arrive by weeks end. We have been frantically getting in the garden and cleaning out the greenhouse. The weather is as uncertain as my emotions. I've been trying to suppress them and put on a brave face. While I am excited for the change, I have been missing friends and that sense of home. But alas, life is always changing, just like the seasons, whether you're ready for them or not.

 

We spent much of the morning butchering chickens. Each of us adults had a job and Fin and Ollie just wandered around taking it all in. As Grampa brought a chicken to the chopping block Fin would said, "Don't worry chicken, we're not going to hurt you." It was pretty funny. We were able to get the job done and went inside feeling chilled from the brisk Autumn air.

 

I went in after school to pick up the kids and help Camilla get to her first piano lesson with her new teacher. I couldn't believe how grown up she looked as I watched her play on the playground with her brothers. She's such a strength to our family and I admire the way she sees others needs and helps to fill them.

 

 After the littles were all tucked in I enjoyed a quiet evening baking chocolate chip cookies and packing lunches for tomorrow.

Oliver is TWO

Today our spunky little blonde is officially two years old! He brings so much light and life into our family. I sometimes joke that the only reason we are having another baby is because Ollie is just so dang cute! He is starting to talk a little bit and express himself more. He has a wonderful, big personality and a great sense of humor. He loves being with his older siblings and they are so good to him. His favorite thing to do is play outside and he has really enjoyed wandering around the acreage over these last few weeks. He is becoming more and more independent each day and loves to try new things. I can't believe how much he has grown over these last two years and how quickly time flew! We sure adore this boy and his sweet spirit! Happy birthday Ollie-lollie!!

Free Range

After a night of Musical beds I woke feeling pretty tired shortly before 7am. We had a slow, Saturday morning and pancakes for breakfast. Hyrum ate four of them and I could hardly believe it! These boys are growing so much and soon I will have to triple what I make for food. The rest of the day was spent playing lego, enjoying time outside and laughing together. The older kids spent a lot of time pushing Ollie around the acreage in his little tikes car. It's his very favorite thing. He is in heaven here and loves that he can go outside without a lot of supervision. It's so nice having the extra space and not having to worry about street traffic and lots of people. They munched fresh garden carrots all afternoon while they played. I spent the afternoon cleaning up and organizing a few rooms.

I managed to make a batch of bread and get the dishes cleaned up. As I washed dishes I watched out the kitchen window while Ollie helped Gramma pick carrots in the garden. He wandered to the strawberry patch and picked one strawberry at a time, bringing it in each time to get washed and then eaten. When he had finished the juicy berry he marched back across the yard to the garden in search of more.

We had a few friends over this evening for a fire and a hot dog roast. All of the kids ran around wild, climbing trees and playing ball. Ollie may have finished off everyone's pop, and especially loved the grape flavor! It was fun to get together with a few families and watch the kids play together too!

As Mr. Stannix and I chatted today and I expressed my feelings and emotions to him, he turned and smiled at me. "Life's an adventure!" he said with a smile. Indeed it is. And there is no one else I'd rather adventure with then my dear Mr. Stannix.