Irises from Hillary

our dear friend hillary gave us a small clump of these last year (maybe the year before?) and they enjoy where they are planted bc they are so full and BEAUTIFUL!!!!! i sorely hope they absolutely take over the front of the house....i just love them! thank you hillary!!!

A Return to the Chainsaw

josh cut some trees today scoping out a fence line....all the way from our house to the cob....it was strange to smell him when he came in...sweat and chainsaw and woodshavings smell....took me right back to his tree work days...it is amazing how smells are so potent for the memory...it is a nice smell though...woodsy =)
anywho...the whole family of course wanted to come down and hang out around the busyness in the woods...quite the entertaining evening =)

A Day of Moving Stuff

i moved their little table into the kitchen and it was wonderful! they could eat while i cleaned and cooked...and then played (ate) playdough while i did stuff...they just like to be so close to wherever i am...so sweet but sometimes i just have to clean dishes...though it is always against my better judgement =)
we also moved this little deck/stairs thing...i made this for jack when he was just learning to walk and i didn't want him climbing our big big stairs...so i made him itty bitty ones =)
then it moved to the bottom of the big slide...and now to the creek...it is a hit i think..it will stay here...=)

New Site of Chicken Coop

it is slow going this coop....but we do a little each day...today, we laid out some wood...then decided where the roof line would fall....the chickens are getting ansy pantsy for their new home...!!!

A Full Day

the kids have colds...
it could be thought of as allergies bc it is so mild, but i know it started and is waining...and it just seems more coldy than allergy-y...
we are the ones though that give purpose to the hand sanitizing wipes when you go into grocery stores....i love those things....
when the kids feel icky it is harder to find things that keep them content...but kroger...well, that is like a playhouse! free helium balloons, free cookies, often chips and turkey to sample...we just play and eat our way through...and stock up on "manager's specials" for the freezer...it's great. and those awkward car carts really are the best...
but we sneezed all over our cart...i wiped it down but you know...you can't help but wonder who will be the next unsusupecting user.
we didn't go to the creek today....
we cobbed a bit, watered the garden, fed the chickens, threw a ball all over the house and gratefully are not less any breakables for the sake of it, went for a stroll in the stroller, made some yogurt, ate some trail mix and chicken for dinner....and just enjoyed a "slow" full wonderful day.
o! and josh bought me an early bday present (besides the router which we will share)...an eddie vetter cd on itunes yay~! i always comment that i like his voice so much...and told him, "crazy, bc he sounds so much like pearl jam to me" josh rolled his eyes and said "he IS pearl jam" just another moment when light is shed on my utter uncoolness =) i was never part of a cool crowd...not altogether unpopular but just never into the stuff that everyone else was...i can't tell you much about cool music, football, good beers or even politics (i hope to remedy the last one)....anywho...maybe this is a breakthrough for me...liking someone very cool =)

Birds and Snakes

the little wrens are almost grown! one of the nests fledged yesterday...this one will be right behind!
and this snake is no longer alive...poor fellow.
we caught him mid-eating one of our baby chicks...she was alas, gone to the world, and we tried, as per usual, to get the rat snake on the rake and put him in the cooler to drive him far far away...
he unfortunately, he was determined to get away and into the woods (to return on the morrow i am sure)
so josh had to kill him....
i thought the bigger chicks might like to eat him...
josh said i was crazy...that they weren't vultures eating carrion
which i have to say makes sense...
but stubborn me insisted and plopped the snake in there anyway.
i returned hours later to take this photo and remove the untouched snake...

Grace's Granola

her recipe is so simple and so yummy...
i made a big batch today...
amidst putting cinder blocks in the ground to make this chicken coop...
i did get the perimeter done...and went to price the wire mesh and it is PRICY!!!
but we love our little chickens...and we have lots of wood from old jobs and from leftover from the cob...so we won't have to buy any...that's good.
what a beautiful evening! cooler tonight than last...
i love these spring nights when the whipporwills come out and sing their nightly tune...
we have such a good life...i feel so very blessed..

Sunday...at the creek again...

after church, earthfare and naps, we played in the creek...
a cool place to be in this wonderfully hot weather!

Not a Bo Peep Sheep

the ram ben is holding is about 300 lbs!!!! wow!!! he said they can get up to 500 lbs...that is quite amazing...
i bet little bo peep didn't take THAT sheep to school with her...it would have sat and squashed her bo peepy friends!

SHEEP!!!

on the quest to finding the best use of our land....and our time...to live a life that keeps us close to our children and eachother...close to Jesus....close to the land and to the community around us, we have thought much about raising sheep...
we visited today with some new friends (the type of folks who could be great friends...we just never seem to get together!) who live 11 miles from us..and raise sheep...aren't they cute? =)
ben has such a good business head on his shoulders..coupled with a lot of sheepy knowledge...
we are grateful to have them to ask so many questions to...
we are home now, the kids are fast asleep and josh and i are listening to frogs and the crickets...
what a deliciously great time of year.

While they were sleeping...

i am not sure why josh and i can't just rest while the kids nap...on saturdays no less! but we really want to get the chickens into a more spacious area....the little tikes are restless...
so, we dug out a foundation for another coop...where they will live almost always only to come out a couple hours in the evening...it is 25' by 10'...they should find it very nice...
o! and we moved the compost bin...3rd time a charm let's hope!

Gone Fishin'

we went to the creek today (it has become an everyday afternap occurance) to catch the fish we saw yesterday! very fun.

These are the ones that didn't show up about the hot day, cool creek

More Creek Photos...