time keeps marching on

A neighbor's son showed up one day during our big snowfall and generously offered to plow our driveway for us. How awesome is that! We really are blessed with great neighbors. We paid him with gratitude. He came in for a visit, some home brewed beer, and to share advice with us on living in snowy country.

The little miss at 2.5 months. This gown is my very favorite piece of baby clothing we own. I received it as a gift 4 babies ago and dressed each one of them in it.

Bread n' broth. The word "nourishing" comes to mind. ;)

Chunky Monkey at 2.5 months.

I love the way she looks up and smiles with joy at all her brothers.

My apple canning helpers.

I love gazing at canned food. Any home canned foods. I love seeing pictures of other people's pantries full of canned food in blogs. They are just so pretty and symbolize food security and hard work. I love them so much that I pose them in my windowsill with chickens in the background just because.  ;)

Go, Mr. Apple Canner, go!

Apple pie. Yummy! I also made an apple crisp. And have plans for making apple muffins tonight. We had apples & almond butter for breakfast. Would you like to come over & have some apples??

We had some birthdays around here recently. Our 3 youngest boys turned 2, 4, and 6. It's funny, now that I don't have easy access to a store, I sure do buy less! This is just one example of many: If we'd still been in suburbia I'd have run to the store to buy candles & cake decorations. Instead, I made do with what we had at home. And it turned out just fine! The kids certainly didn't notice they had candles from our box of emergency candles, or sprinkles from Christmas cookies I found in the back of a pantry from years ago. And thankfully they didn't care that I hadn't purchased little candy letters to spell out their names but instead wrote them in the weird gel frosting I found in a cupboard. It ran all over the place. LOL

We had a combined party for our 4 and 6 year olds. Several weeks before we celebrated for our 2 year old:

My husband made up a new batch of sauerkraut. I love sauerkraut!

Mr. Man Rooster. It is amazing how *busy* he is with his ladies. Nearly everytime I look out the window I see him hopping on top of another hen. That explains why most all the chicks that hatch out in the incubator look just like him! The lady-hens love him though. They trail after him, sometimes by the dozen, giving him googly-love eyes.

A hen next to Mr. Man's big, handsome tail.

Pregnant sheep ladies. I had to giggle to myself when listening to certain Christmas carols. Several of them mention "silent flocks" of sheep. It gives you a picture of a peaceful, silent group of sheep. I don't know if our 2 sheep are odd, but they're not silent. The way sheep cough is pretty funny. They toss their whole heads way up & way down and sound like they're cough-barfing-choke-yelling. And they very frequently fart while they cough. And their constant slobbery cud chewing isn't silent either. :p

Guineas enjoying the view from atop Gertie's manure heap.

Gertie having a snack.

My son had left his bowl of pasta & cheese next to the box of chicks. Apparently that was a mistake, LOL! We got a box with taller sides after this.

Homeschooling is still going along fine & dandy. I've been wanting to do a homeschool post for awhile. I've already typed in my head. Now to find the time...

My 13 yr old son is enjoying Apologia's biology text for science this year (8th grade). We've had a lot of fun with the microscope. He got to collect & view amoebas from the creek on our property. That was pretty cool.

My art loving kindergartner been working his way through the Usborne Art Treasury book.

I put the little miss in front of "blanket TV" when I shower. She loves blanket TV. ;)  I drape an interesting baby blanket over the laundry hamper & she's mesmerized by it long enough for me to shower.

And now to get to those apple muffins........