Jack using the pulley

joan's fireplace is on the middle floor of her house....so her brother rigged up a boat hoist and then a welded cage for her firewood...with just a push of a button...(and previously loading it down below) up comes the wood literally to her back door. very cool. jack of course loved helping...
maybe it will convince him that gathering firewood at home is soooooo fun too!

the new one!

fixing the sink

joan's sink handle broke off, so she bought a new one and i put it in...you and me both were happy and surprised when i turned the water back on at the main and it didn't leak and it worked!!!!

haircut AND EGGS IN A BASKET

jack looks like a real boy!!!
though i admit that i miss his tousled locks =)
he mixed his own birthday cake =)
and joan made this wonderful little conquoctions...eggs and cheese baked in rolls...delicious

Steam Engine

bill got this steam engine working...burning alcohol which created the steam, went through the metal pipes and turned a wheel...it was extraordinary!

Day one of our adventure

when we arrived at joan's house, we snuggled by the fire, read books and just hung out...re-re came over and serenaded us all with the 2 stringed guitar =)
and then later that evening jack got his hair cut by the fire...it looks so good!

A visiting

today the kids and i spent time with joan and marie and bill...our dear dear friends.
it was so lovely....the kids opened presents, stuck stickers all over themselves, ate at chickfila, and watched a real demonstration of a steam engine! (thank you bill!)
my heart aches for joy and sadness when i am here ....i love these people so much and our lives are often just racing by ....it has been so long since i've been here! 
the chance of us moving to chattanooga...though not what i want in many ways, is SOOOO what i want in others...bc we can do all the homesteading stuff again anywhere...but the chance to be closer to our families!!!! there is no price on this or comparison. 
i can't figure out how to put pics on here remotely so i think i shall have to save them up until when we are home!
night night
o!
i got a call today about the blood work i had done and am thankful to know all is just normal as can be...not anemic, nothing wrong with my organs..thyroid, liver etc...no infections....so maybe all this eczema is allergy related afterall.  it was interesting to know that i am not at all anemic which i have wondered about....i haven't eaten beef or pork in years and years...but since may, i have mostly given up all other meats too...fish and chicken included...random reasons i suppose...but just tried to heavily eat greens...and have received what i need it seems...
ok..ramble for another day.!
off now

Matthew Perryman Jones

years ago, my friend jonathan told me about this guy matthew perryman jones...and bought me a cd
i listened and listened and listened to it...
it was one of those collections of music that was both melancholy and victorious at the same time....
my favorite =)
i saw him at eddie's attic afterwards and bought some music off itunes about a year ago after hearing a song i really liked on DAVE FM...save me.
anywho, when i got together with jonathan and jenny at mcdonalds a couple weeks ago, they told me about this concert...which sounds wonderful...so i thought i'd pass along the info!
if you are wanting a fun night out and to be introduced to an artist of words and song, this guy really is your man.

jack turns 4 on wednesday!

i can hardly believe it!!!!!
tonight, i made him a little set of blocks and dowels to hammer into them....to create whatever he desires with it...
i just used some old bits of wood and then sanded it down while watching some old engish program on netflix
he has a little hammer so i am hoping he can hammer them right through the holes....
they seem a little tight to me....but maybe that will just mean his shapes will hold...
anywho!

a neat new turn

the past couple days, the kids have started playing together without me or josh instigating it...
today, i looked down expecting my littlest munchkin to be at my feet only to glance instead outside and see her atop the dirt hill with jack!
i stood on the porch and just watched them...and listened
jack - i'm digging ez, you need to stay up there for a while
esme - down?
jack - nooooope not yet
esme - o-tay jack...o-tay
esme - down?
jack - noooope, see all this? i have to dig dig dig...just a minute more
esme - minute, 0 -tay jack o-tay

such a simple little ramble of words but it just made my heart smile so big!

and you can see our poor winter garden ha!
those chickens!!!
notice the patch of parsley...the ONLy food i think chickens do not eat!!!

liana's relish

is just so delicious.
i didn't have all the ingredients so i mixed up the basics in the purree-er and whizzed away....
and then i just eat it with a spoon...yummy yummy
esme likes it a lot too...probably bc it is so pretty!
and deliciously raw =)

from here there and everywhere

these photos are from last week dinner...that didn't come out for some reason the first time i posted them!