22 Years!

Today, Eric & I are celebrating 22 years of marriage! He has been spoiling me over the past few days, and he sure knows what I like. Lots of good food, hiking, his pleasant conversation, and cozy evenings have made our time together unforgettable!

Sam the Lumberjack

Sam helped Eric chop some wood for the wood stove today! He is strong, and getting stronger!

Belated Blog Post

I forgot to post about the amazing autumn leef-peeping day we had a few weeks ago! It was such a gorgeous day, and the colors were so vibrant! It's all gone now, though. It always seems to go by so fast. I try to savor every season.

Boy-built House

Today Sam showed me the progress he has made with his "Little House in the Woods"! He, his brothers, and John have worked hard all summer & fall to turn this into the real thing. It even has electricity and heat! They have plans for shingles and siding. I'll get a picture of all of them inside, soon.❤️

Early Snow

When I went for a walk about an hour ago, we were up to 7"! The snow is still coming down at a rate of about 1-2" an hour. It's quite peaceful. The boys were playing in the other part of the yard, having a snowball fight. They're so excited! ❄️

Last Harvest

One last little harvest before the cold front arrives tomorrow night. Time to put the garden beds to rest for the season.🍂

Fun with Carrots

We had some goofy fun with our carrot harvest yesterday! Some carrots grew well, others...not so much. 😁 We all agreed that fresh carrots smell AMAZING! Now, on to finding recipes to make good use of our bounty. 🥕

Power & Peace

We had some pretty wild storms whip through here, but the day ended in a colorful sunset. Now, all is calm. Thankful for God's show of power and peace.

Egg Benefits

It's my favorite time of year again...baking season! The twins helped me make popovers this morning. This is half the batch. With 14 hens, we need to keep up on using the eggs!💓🥚🥚🥚🥚🥚🥚🥚🥚🥚🥚🥚🥚🥚🥚💓

Surprise!

God is so good! This motorhome is a gift from Grandma Becky Behymer Layton and Grandpa Terry! It's a fun project for Christy, and I foresee much more comfortable camping in my future.😁 Our hearts are filled with gratitude!!

Big Woods State Park

The boys sure enjoy hiking Big Woods State Park! The waterfall is always a hit! I still can't believe that all this beauty is only about a 10 minute drive from our house. I'm so glad we found it!

Reggie the Rooster

Meet the newest member of our flock: Reggie the Rooster! Our laying hens are still getting used to him. The kids are so excited, and I'm looking forward to sweet morning wake-up calls.🌄

Cozy & Content

History, science & storytime by the fire on a chilly day. The kids love it, and so do I!🔥

Interior Refresh

My sweet hubby spent quite a bit of time this summer transforming our main living area from dull and drab to cozy, warm & inviting! I love it! We now have plenty of space to store books, homeschool curricula & DVD's. School starts tomorrow for us! Christy started a couple of weeks ago. Her classes are online this semester, but she goes into town a few times a week since our Internet isn't that great out here. We miss her when she's gone. I'm thankful for our family time and a nice place to enjoy each other!

Starting to Harvest

The big haul from this morning! It was a little chilly. Sweet corn in the sacks, and we're still waiting on quite a few more potatoes, carrots & butternut squash. They might be ready sometime around the first frost. The kids had fun helping! Now on to shredding, dicing, canning, and otherwise preserving. 😁

Sunny Outlook

Preserves

More gourmet preserving going on this evening! These jars are posing like they're about to release their first hit album.😂

Wild Grapes

Our wild grapevines are actually producing grapes! That's a first!