plastering with joy

josh has been wonderful about taking the kids for some fun excursion in the mornings so i can plaster...
it is going alright down there...and i am loving it!
i put a radio down at the cob....and listen to Christmas tunes and plaster away....

josh clearing land

before the little incident

he's growing!

simple things

jack really wanted a knife so josh made him one out of cardboard/plastic and he has taken it to bed with him...washed it and hung it to dry...used it on everything and everyone =)
we decided that we could just sit up at night and make them both cardboard toys and they would be overjoyed!

we took a bike ride yesterday and esme fell asleep...but had needed to teetee during the ride, so took off her diaper...then she teeteed on her pants so i took those off...anywho she ended up naked on her bottom half...
so when she fell asleep, her little bottom was up in the air...in the cold!!! so funny!
she slept like this outside for an hour!

meeting little sophia!!!

wayne and ingie came over last night with their dear little almost 4 month old!
we haven't seen them in ages...it was so good to catch up..
ingie certainly didn't loo tird but lovely and refreshed !!! not at all how i looked with my itty bitty people ) at that age!

Date with a Chainsaw

alas, josh was happily cutting away when he let the chainsaw rest for just a moment against his leg...
it is crazy bc a chainsaw is something of an extension of his arm really, he is so easy and good at using them...
but maybe that is why something like this happens...just being too assured...
anywho...he was in the bottom pasture clearing trees and i saw him come up the hill on his tractor earlier than i expected...
he didn't want to wait for me to find someone to watch the munchkins so he drove himself!
this morning he says it feels fine...it didnt' cut into the muscle at all...
so we are off to church!

highlights of the day

without photos...i know i know, lame-o
the thing is that josh was given by his mom a wonderful new camera for his birthday....
which of course i covet like crazy!
it is a little powershot, my favorite.
but also, of course, he doesn't really like his "ah, who cares if this stuff is burning through my skin" slightly lackadasical (sp) wife to borrow it...though he grins and bares it well.
and mine needs its little batteries recharged but somehow i broke the recharger (i came home and found a pile of battery acid oozing out from under it...while plugged in) 
so, here i am trying very very hard not to use his camera (though he really wouldn't mind) to prove i am not going to usurp it...it really is HIS.
well, at least for now =)

ok!
josh and i went to the dentist today! i was sooo sure i'd have a mouthful of cavaties...but yay! we are both free and clear even though we haven't been since right after the birth of jack!  we were so happy, we came home and ate icecream =)

situps and pushups...yes, well. a-hem.
i was doing sooo well! and then kiawah, that dratted perfect island vacation, how could it ruin my run!
ok, yes i fell off the boat quite completely.  and you know when you miss a day, and then another, it seems all too hard to keep up anymore.  so, i am prepared to start over. 
i will say, i was feeling very strong there after week 1....they were getting just a tad easier for me...ie, i could do them and not wobble afterwards.  so i'm excited about starting again...buuuuut, not tonight =)

i have been looking for a book for josh for Christmas....called bending the willow about jeremy brett as sherlock holmes.  if anyone has any leads on one or where i could find one that is not $999.00 (amazon) i'd LOVE to know!

ok. it is 7:34 and i am nearly toast.  the kids get up a lot in the night...well, let me rephrase,,, jack gets up every night if we aren't all in bed together sans esme...he just loves to know we are near. and esme wakes up for good between 4-5 am....so sadly nearer to 4 than 5.  while josh was away, i could go to bed really early....but now, i want to hang out so i am looking like a racoon ...just tired.  anywho...surely surely they will start to sleep better soon! i mean, there isn't much more that i can do to wear them out during the day!

hope everyone has a lovely evening....i am off to not clean the kitchen but read instead =) ahhh, i love being an adult!

A few dec 12th changes

david has killed quite a few deer out here this year, so we are going to slow cook some and it will be ready around 4:30 that afternoon...with lots of sides and cider (for those adventurous enough to sample my first attempt at pear cider =))...so come on early and eat! 
AND
we are collecting canned goods for a local hungry family, so bring a couple to pop under the tree...
all is looking good...i have plastered about 1/2 of the inside so far...it looks a bit rough but that's ok...the next layers will bind well.  i wonder what the barns and stables so long ago were made of...certainly a great potential for cob....
i am just so excited...the story weaved in Christmas carols is the story that gives us life and joy!  and i just love to sing them....looking forward to seeing everyone!

good ideas and pretty bad ideas

so i did a little first coat plastering yesterday...it is called the scratch coat...really rough and it is supposed to be so the next layers can tie in...
that wasn't the bad idea....
the thing is that i didn't have very long gloves and the lime is quite caustic...so it creeped down my hand and onto my wrist...using those little gloves was not a very good plan...
but on the other hand, if one does choose to do this, best to do it in the cold like i did,,,,bc then you have no real idea you are burning through your skin until you wash up and thaw out later!

a afternoon's play

liana and thalia stopped by yesterday and the kids just loved it!
they went for a ride with josh in the dumptruck, toted eachother around in the little wagon, played ball and on the swings...
it was so nice..
and such a fall/truly winter day!

naptime

Firewood!!!!

yay!!!
david borrowed our truck and brought us firewood!
so yesterday the kids and josh cut it up...
one of the trees he cut looks like a face!!!
can you see it?
i'll try and color it funny so you can really tell it...

eggs and apple pie

when we came home there were soooo many eggs!
katie and clay stayed here while we were away and we weren't sure which ones were about to be chickens...and which were yummy to eat..
anywho...we have no idea, so we cleaned them all out and we just wont' give these away...we wouldn't want to shock anyone.
tramatize rather.
and the apple pie! katie made it for us and josh ate it all/.....ALL of IT!!!!!
obviously it was delicious.
and then our eggs...
the pic with 3 is hilarious...bc those are all chicken eggs!
one laid a huge one....and when i cooked it the kids shared it!
the final photo is ONE fried egg!
ha!
the turkey eggs are also quite large they are the brown spotted ones....