Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Death by Pears?

This does not include jars I've given away, or, um, eaten
(Left Pyramid: Pear Preserves; Middle Pyramid: Top-Pear Preserves, Second from Top: Pear Preserves, Third from Top: Pear Butter, Bottom: Pear Sauce; Right Pyramid: Top: Pear Sauce, Bottom : pear butter and Pear Preserves)

And miles to go before I sleep.....

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Hello New house! Oh how I love you!

So very....

 Very....
 Very....

 Much!

Monday, October 25, 2010

Good bye old house....how I hated you....

Well.....

 Maybe you weren't too bad.......
 You had your charms.
 Nope....
NO, I really, really hate you.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Pickin' Pears

The pears were ripe.  We've been ignoring them for a week while we worked on the new house.  So we got up with the sun today.

It was a nice cool morning.  We made it to the pears before the wasps did, so the kids helped with out complaining.
 A roosters crowed from the farm up the street.
 Birds squabbled over some morsel in the trees near us.
 Somewhere a woodpecker was making a home or searching for bugs
 New calves bawled from across the pasture.
 Mama cows bellowed back.
 The kids laughter filled the little valley where our ramshackle house leans.
 This was a new adventure for them.  And they loved it.
 We haven't found a church here yet.
 But this is as close to God as I've felt in a long time.
 I'm going to be pretty busy with canning these soon.
 And this is what the tree looks like AFTER we picked. 
It was time to let the wasps have their turn.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

How did we even get here?

I hate this house.  I really, really, really, hate it.  For one thing, we are without water more often than we are with.  Why?  Because every time one leak gets fixed another one springs up.

This is the ninth one as of this morning and we have only been here two months!  I had no water all day yesterday.  They fixed the leak, I gave Caedon a bath and by evening it was leaking again.
 But it's not just leaks.  Here is how the broken door knob was fixed.

But at least now the bugs can't fly in.  Don't even get me started on the inside.  There was one good thing about this place.  Pears!

The best thing is, I will probably still be able to harvest these.  Our landlord doesn't care!!!

We do love the area we are in, so it's a good thing we are only moving a mile or so down the road.

Let me walk you through the outrageous and amazing way God brought us here to this rat trap (as I refer to it because of all the rats we've trapped).  You know that we wanted land.  In our minds it just wasn't the time for it though.  Jon had only had his job for a year and any possibility of transfer was way in the future.  We weren't even praying for it.  Out of the blue, Jon was offered a work from home position that would put us smack dab in the middle of God's country.  We said yes.  It was what we wanted but were afraid to ask for.  So far, that part of the puzzle has been amazing.  Jon and the rest of us LOVE him working from home.  The problem is with small communities....there is nothing to rent!!!  This house is LITERALLY the only thing with three bedrooms available.  We are grateful for the roof over our heads, but I can't tell you how many nights I've cried myself to sleep because I HATE THIS HOUSE!!!  The mice, the bugs, the spiders, the mold, the allergens....hate it all.

But in our minds, we were still a minimum of 6 months away from buying "our dream home" and land.  Until rent was due.  Jon asked our landlord about another house down the road and he let us know it was sold.  He did however have a "really nice one" around the corner he could sell us.  I was very sceptical...because we are in his "best rent house". HA!  But you have seen the pictures.  IT'S AWESOME!!  Again God answered a prayer we weren't even praying.  From the beginning this has been his deal, so we are just going to go with it.  He amazes me daily.  I can't wait to see what he gives us next! 

I wish I had my camera yesterday.  We were at the new house at sunset.  It is a 360 view of lakes, trees, pastures, mountains, all blanketed in the soft pastels and vibrant oranges of sunset.  Can't wait to live there!

Monday, October 4, 2010

Bitter Sweet

We had an awesome yet tough weekend.  It started out with all our favorite people in the world driving from far and near to go camping (or in the case of the women, eating and watching the babies at my rat trap...er um....house.).  We had a great time, one and all.  Sunday, as things were wrapping up, Steve came by with his wife and daughter.  Who is Steve?  Steve is the man who responded to my craigslist posting for the puppies.  It was love at first site for all of them, and a match made in heaven.  Steve knows all about hunting coons, and owns property north of here.   He JUST lost his 15 year old redbone and had been looking for forever to adopt some pups.  When he saw Daisy and Little May on the net, he was thrilled.  So much so, that he and his family drove an hour and a half to come and meet them.  They were all that wished for the girls, and everything I thought they could never have.  Steve gladly mad a $150 donation to the DOAV which was about 10 times more than I thought anyone would be willing to make.  I didn't cry.....much.  The kids even took it well.  I think they were just too tired to care at that point though.  Here they are saying goodbye.




In other news...WE GOT THE HOUSE!!!!

So all bets are off, as we get ready to move for the 3rd time in a year....even a record for us!!!!  The following plans are on hold until spring:

Building the chicken coop
Obtaining chickens
Building portable rabbits hutches
Obtaining rabbits
Planting a garden (AGAIN!!!)


New Plans:

Get the house ready
Move
Plant an ORCHARD!!!!!!

LOL!!!!

Friday, October 1, 2010

Another change of plans?

Just to show you how fast and crazy things are changing for us these days, here is the newest loop.  We have the opportunity to rent a MUCH better property and eventually buy it.  This all happened yesterday so I never got a chance to post.  I just went out and looked at it again so without further adou....the pictures....

Drive to house off of Sunshine road

Front of House
Front Porch
View from porch....5 acre lake

Front Yard

Entrance


Kitchen



Living Area

Kitchen
Dinning area
Entrance/Dining/Kitchen


Bedroom 1

Utility
BEdroom 2
Master
Master BAth
Barn
Extra Land
Garage which we will turn into a 4th bedroom and family room

More on the situation to come!!!!