Wishing you all a VERY Merry Christmas!
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

There is much I would like to say, but I have a gift to make for my newest family member Elijah. Priorities right? Have a BLESSED Christmas

Lori

a new son

My oldest baby, daughter, rambunctious little foal was married this past Saturday. I have so many emotions still swirling around that I don't want to ramble on here, but I will say that her day was beautiful and now I have a son added to our family.

So much to be thankful for during this time of being grateful!

Lori
xo

still going strong

Hannah's Soccer Team the Montesano Rangers are still going STRONG! woop woop! they won 2nd in their district a few weeks back and then just won 2nd in another district a few days ago and will continue on this Saturday.
I absolutely love this team, the players arent full of drama like you would think of 12 year olds, the coaches are balanced in toughness and compassion....the girls are THRIVING.

love it!

on the table

the sewing machine has been lonely for quite awhile now, but isn't any longer.
two flower girl dresses are humming through
two owl totes being made by two young girls are too!

what is in your machine?
Lori
xo

freezer finds

Sophie had a sweet tooth the other day. I really didn't want to go to town and there wasn't any flour in the cupboard. hmmmmm
off to the freezer in hopes of something to be hiding in there that's sweet.
we found a box of puff pastry
the trees had apples
a neighbor had brown sugar
oats were in the cupboard and maple syrup in the fridge.
sweet tooth problem solved without the trip to the store
(yes, the neighbor was compensated with an apple treat of his own)
xo
Lori

cycles

new and loss....the cycle of life. lots of it going on around here, mostly in the loss though, but the new thing is in the way we are thinking I guess.

 we are getting eggs now. almost a dozen a day. they disappear as quickly as they come with a large family. we sure are enjoying having fresh eggs again.

Aliss' beautiful cat Leon died. it was horrendous to say the least. he ended up with sepsis in his blood. he was at the vets overnight and then we brought him home the next day because they said there wasnt anything they could do for him. i was giving him antibiotic shots and iv fluids as they said and he started doing better. then he went down hill and was gone. the anguish after believing so whole heartedly for something and it going the other way.


THEN two days ago Sophie said her guinea pig hadnt been eating. what? I wish animals could tell us when they didnt feel well. We tried what we could for beautiful Zoey but lost her too.


this Sunday both beef will be butchered as we were raising them for my mom and neighbor. that will be a big adjustment because they have been here at this home almost as long as we have. we will adjust, but it will be weird at first to not see them or hear them calling from the pasture.


not everything in life is wrapped up in neat little packages. 

grief is part of life. 

change is too.


on a lighter note (because we have to have that), Sophie and I found some puff pastry in the freezer and made some little apple desserts. they were so delicious! Since we borrowed brown sugar from Ernie our neighbor Sophie took him one and he was most appreciative. ;o)


Are you doing any fall cooking?


sorry to be a bummer, but life is all about recognizing our emotions isnt it and not running from them? well a healthy life is at least ;o)


Lori
xo

the reason for my absence

i really havent been just being rude and vacant here. there has been so much going on. the exterior of the house is almost done...my oldest daughter's wedding is 3 weeks away, school is progressing and life is in full swing.

:: i am tickled at how God is providing for Tessa and Elijah's wedding on November 19. I am also tickled at the community of people that are gathering around them to make their day so special.

:: the garden is coming to an end. some half ears of corn are being eaten by my family. corn stalks by the horse and steers.

:: some lingering green tomatoes here and there on the plants that havent already been thrown over the garden fence to the livestock or chickens.

:: we are in full swing of eggs now...we average about 9-11 a day. just right for my bunch.

:: the woodshed has seen the first delivery of winter wood. yep! we are behind, but i have faith that God will see to that aspect of taking care of our needs as well as He has everything else.

:: I am tickled that I found the big burnt orange velvet vintage covering that I found thrifting a few years back. just in time for some sewing for my girls wedding. her colors are burnt orange, teal and charcoal grey.

talk to you more soon! hope you are all snug as a bug in a rug! (who made up that saying? its really pretty gross!) hehe!
Lori
xo

busy, busy, dreadfully busy.

tonight is the first class for me this school year. taking psychology and am really excited.

pulled out the pea plants from the garden this morning. threw them over the pasture fence to the steers and took the broccoli flowers to Joey the horse.

what is up with waking up at 6:30 for no reason? i better get a nap today because class doesnt get out til 9:30 tonight.

the new electric fuse panel went into the house yesterday. what a sigh of relief was exhaled.

Don and Donnie Miller are working full steam ahead on getting the exterior and support of this ole gal all up to par. Tessa helped me pick out the paint. it is called bee's wax from sherwin williams. you know i have been a home owner for over 20 years and am just now finally putting the paint i picked out on the house. different house but same dreams.

picked out new lighting for a few areas in the house too. one of my favorite purchases was the barn lighting style pendant from Home Depot.

it is going to hang over the bar in the game room (pool and darts). when i call it the pool room to people other than my family they assume it is a water style pool. i think it is too much to call it a billiards room. it is what it is.
anyway.
this pendant will hang over the bar and when the majority of the work is done around here I will then start on the beautification process...like putting a sheet of brushed metal on the top of the bar to match the light...i    cannot     wait!

i better get crackin around here...long day ahead.
have a good one!
Lori
xo

being present

to be honest
I am struggling.

there are many hats that i am adjusting on top of my head and  trying not to let one or the other fall that i am feeling like a butterfly flitting from one flower to another and not really enjoying any one of them

starting today i am focusing on the moment i am in and trying not to think about one to come or one that has been.
i really need to feel connected and my mind is fighting it with all of the different aspects of my life right now. it feels like a wire sending out bursts of electric information at all times.

focus on the moment

focus        on           the         moment

xo

ps i have been thinking about here a lot lately. i would really like to be a better friend and share more in this space. soon. thank you for visiting today

eggs!

 the other morning I was looking at the hens and noticed that some of them had dark red combs. I said to them "girls, you have the red combs. where are your eggs?"

I hadn't even checked up until this point because by my calculations I thought they would be laying around Thanksgiving.

I thought I would check anyway and headed over to the hen-house.

Looky what I found! boy, was I squeeling....so excited to be getting eggs again.

the first eggs were 3/4 size and now we have reached full size. Sophie loves being able to go get the fresh eggs each morning. She knows which of the hens are the early layers too.

Tessa made me an omelet this morning from our eggs and filled with ham and tomatoes and broccoli from the garden....so satisfying!

love having some of the hard work pay off. xo

twelve

sitting here in a quiet house and wondering where the time goes. the saying is that it flies. well somebody give me a net so I can catch some of it back and let it go more slowly. we would all like that sort of net right? xo

One of my youngest babies is TWELVE today. twelve. sigh.

twelve is the age of change for sure in a little girl becoming a young lady.

for me it is a second stage of toddler-hood independence except on a bigger level. so much learning about yourself and stretching wings.

so much wing stretching in this house.

its good...really. I keep reminding myself that my job as the momma is to help the wings to stretch and enjoy the view.

my girl Hannah is no exception. she is a tough one and also so pure and feminine. i love the balance of those two characteristics in her. a true gem.

i am so proud to be known as her momma and will continue to be proud as she continues to grow.

she shares her birthday with her dad. i still remember the day when i came out of the O.B's office telling my momma who was visiting and Andy that the Dr. would induce tomorrow. Mom looked at me and said why dont you see if he can on Andy's birthday? I hadn't thought of that really. I just wanted to have this baby. so i waited two more days. pure torture...act of love. what a gift to her daddy.

her Bompa's birthday is the day after too. special time.

this morning we celebrate with the traditional breakfast in bed and presents. tonight she goes to her dad's house and she celebrates with him and all of her siblings, tomorrow we watch her first soccer game of the season and next weekend we have a big party for her with lots of friends and family.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY HANNAH SUZER KOOZER!
Go get em!!
Love you more,
Momma
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

construction

boy it has been busy around here! the construction has started on the exterior. lots of wood being removed-all lap siding and skirting.

balancing between starting the schoolyear with the kids, working part time and helping with clean up from remodel.

i am tuckered out!

the excitement of a fresh start is fueling the fire though...we have a couple of changes that we are possibly going to be able to do in regards to a wrap around porch. weeeeeeeeeee! to be able to grab a cup of coffee in those early morning and watch my chickens in their yard...ahhhhh.

getting hay for the winter...thinking of a plan to get wood too.

thinking of the garden as we progress into fall. making an access point for the the chickens to scratch it up through the winter and fertilize it for me. oh the thingy in the  photo above....i love that stand. i want a few of them for peas....thinking since i dont weld though that mine may be made out of wood slats. improvision is the backbone of life!

hope all is well with you!
what have you been up to?

planning

 Have I told you that I am planning a wedding?

that my oldest baby is the one walking down the aisle?

that i know I will weep the whole time in joy and in sadness

that i am so happy with who God sent to be my new son

that i want it to be the most beautiful wedding that she has ever seen

that it is November 19 and that is coming closer and closer

Plums

 it didn't take but a second after i walked into the house with a purple plum for Sophie and Hannah to be out the door, down the steps, across the yard, into the chicken coop and scurrying up the tree branches.

it also didn't take long for the steers to hear those two girls in the tree and figure out what was going on and come a beggin at the pasture fence.

plums! we pruned one of the trees and there wasn't as much on it this year, but next year...look out!

these plums aren't making it into the freezer...they are being gobbled up just... like ...that.

are you harvesting anything right now?

pool room storage closet to library

 There are a lot of websites out there that are woman-owned and sharing what they are doing to change their homes. I love reading them and being inspired. The problem is I didn't know where to start. After a little talk with God and feeling pointed in the direction of the poolroom closet (which by the way was piled HIGH with stuff) I dug right in.

 before

 i heart the wainscoting on the walls!

After looking at it now it looks like all I did was paint and put up a shelf. not really. I shortened the depth of the shelves, added a new shelf lower, painted walls and the dresser. Zack (my son) cut all of the wood for me with his own circular saw. I love projects that people spend time together doing. Sophie helped me paint the golden wall area in the bottom half of the room.

it is still coming together, but I am loving it. I even took my new Better Homes & Gardens magazine fresh from the post box and a yummy cup of coffee yesterday morning and lounged on the couch in the morning sunshine. Boy am I glad that whoever built the home put a window in that storage room. :o)

transitions

changed the header on here. i LOVE apple pictures. I didnt stage it, I just layed some apples in a pile on the grass. no rearranging and stuff. just point and shoot. i love how it turned out. there was a post last spring of apples and a photo of a pile of frozen decomposing apples and leaves the winter before. guess I realized something about myself eh?

 i have seen a few closets redone into book nooks on the  computer. i love that idea. part of what overwhelms me from moving is the amount of books that we have. well, to really keep things happening I used the book shelf as a shelf on the back porch for outdoor toys to be organized on. hmmmmm. SO in talking to God about where to start organizing my new home I felt the need to start with the pool(read pool table room not water pool) room closet. There was soooooooooo much stuff in there. Some the previous owners like lots of fishing equiptment that is now mine. We are moving that all in one spot til next spring when Zack can go through it for the summer fishing. Anyway! hehehe...I have it all cleared out and am making the shelving ready for books and closing up some areas that were open to the studs. if you are still reading through my musing then you get a badge for the best blog friend.

I will put some before and after up soon!

the garden is starting to grow more.
the steer are getting more grains.
the horse is settling into wearing his fly mask.
i wont see the dr for a long time with the apple a day saying and having 7 apple trees!

this morning when i was doing the outside chore circuit it felt like fall. all of a sudden. it is here...or on the verge. the feeling to get ready for the kids assignments. breakfast lists, chore lists, assignment lists....slow it down and finish the new library and get the books put away right? ;o)

do you see any signs of fall where you are?

hope you have a GREAT day!

weekend

listening to two totally different sounding roosters crow. one is loud and strong and one sounds like a squeek toy...he is a banty (smaller version) and all I can do is laugh at the outrageous sound of his crow. we have to get our fun somewhere right? ;o)

watching my two youngest on a baking spree last night. Hannah made homemade chocolate cake with peanut-butter frosting and Sophie made pretzels. Both turned out fabulous! Aliss also made baked potatoes and while it is very sweet and they were delicious I don't go on about it because the world already knows her amazingness. hehe

harvested lettuce-some red leaf, lacy leaf and green. also some peas, cherry tomatoes, garlic bulbs, apples, spinach leaves and broccoli for a barter that I am so excited about. the boxes weren't very large this time, but I am looking forward to when I can wow em!

btw...the house is MINE! did I say that before? well, sorry, but that may crop up here in random spots for awhile now. :o)

been enjoying some crafty and homemaking blogs that I haven't visited in a while because of the amount of work around here this summer. felt like a homecoming...you know how it is visiting with an old friend after not seeing them for awhile.

mulled over the thought with some friends on Facebook about getting licensed as a home daycare so I can earn money at home for a season. not going to end up doing it as much as I would like because it would be just as financially inconsistent as the job I am in out of the home right now and so many hoops to jump through. I really dont need to add more hoops to my circus.

Joey the horse was brought back to the pasture. He has his first fly mask and doesnt quite like it. maybe it just takes time.

the steer are eating more sweet cob now. they still dont seem to pack on weight like i thought they would. they sure love the extra portions though. snicker~

well off to turn off the garden sprinkler, get ready for work and make me some jo.

hope you all have a GREAT day!

Lori

xo

Welcome to my garden

 this garden sure has been a labor of love. it started out as a dream like most things. BUT this one is coming true!

some of my classmates from The Evergreen State College, some of their family, and my children all came together and tilled the ground this spring, dug fence hole posts and laid the posts and strung the fencing. they also built the garden gate of my dreams.

at first I wasnt sure about painting it black, but I LOVE it so much. it gives it an European feel of which I really love.
 

  Come on in! 

xo

 the previous owners of this home grew an abundance of every kind of Dahlia on the side of their garden. Oh they were so beautiful! With much love for Louie and Carol I am bringing them back to the farm. My heart cannot help but to swell with love for the example of love and much more that that they were for so many people every time I look at the Dahlia flower.

I can't wait to get more in their honor

 this year isn't the bumper crop of veggies (yet), but it is the start of something great! realizing dreams...

follow God's voice and it is amazing where He can lead you...

sometimes its the places that dreams are made of. :o)

Gerbera daisies that my future son-in-law gave me on Mother's Day 

 

 thanks for strolling through the garden with me. 

hope you enjoyed your visit!

consistency

as much as i would like to post regularly on here doesnt get it done.
this summer is kicking my hiney!

:: working the garden alone. planted it with helpers in mind, but lucky for them they are getting a summer and i am happy for them

:: working around 20 hours a week at work too

:: keeping up with when Sophie and Hannah go to their dads (because my babysitters are having fun)

:: eating the first red cherry tomato of the vine

:: planting carrots in the rows between the corn plants like my Great Grandfather did when my mom was a little girl and helped him in his garden~feels good to garden the heritage way!

:: listening to the rain outside after a nice HOT day yesterday-we here in Western Washington have been waiting for that heat :o)

:: getting my two teens who just got home from 5 weeks at Grandma and Grandpa's house in Alaska ready for a week away at camp starting tomorrow.

~Wishing you all days full of family and cheer!
Lori xo