Gone.

Oh my.  It's gone.  The fifty pound bag of flour I bought two months ago, just before the snow came.  Wow, that shows how much baking I do.
Anyway, I wanted to tell you how I've been enjoying buying dried goods in bulk. Cheaper, convenient and less packaging.  I've been blessed with a very large pantry in this house...which currently houses 50 pounds of white flour, 50 pounds of whole wheat flour, 50 pounds of oats, 50 pounds of sugar and 50 pounds of potatoes, 30 pounds of raisins, 25 pounds of rice, a gallon of olive oil and a case of oranges and a case of grapefruit...to name a few.  Pair that with homemade yogurt, homemade bread, eggs from laying chickens, a full freezer of local meats, berries and some herbs from the garden and a root cellar that still has plenty of jams, relish, pears, apples, tomatoes and juice...well, it's nice to be set and not need to scoot to the grocery store.  One of these days I need to find a way to better organize it...and perhaps show you...but I have to say it's nice having things handy.
 
This pace of life with food preparation feels good.  I rarely need to go to the grocery store.

  We stretch our visits every 2-3 weeks (fresh fruits/veggies the first week; canned/frozen fruits/veggies the 2nd week). Less shopping trips in and of itself gives me extra hours each week with my babies. Making sure we're home to make yogurt or bread once a week gives us the down time we need as a family.  Home is where we want to be, we love this farmhouse so.
 
I've been asked a time or two how I have time to make all of our bread from scratch.  My view?  A chunk of time every week to be home, to get our hands dirty, smell the baking bread, sample while it's still warm, be together as a family...I make time for all of that. Life's too busy not to.




Buying bulk, making from scratch, carving out a chunk of time each week to make bread (recipe here), give it a go.  Perhaps you'll enjoy it too.

Spotlight on my Dad...a bowl and table.

A couple of projects from my dad.  He's an amazing woodworker. 
This bowl arrived for my birthday.  The table was a present some time ago that I never shared.
 







 And of course, I cannot take a picture of anything without my helpers.
 
 
 
 




Thanks, BOG!
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Spiffing up this living room.

Okay, this hardly feels like a post.  I put oodles of time into my latest two projects and it all...well...looks about the same.  I gave the living room 2 fresh coats of paint.  It looks so much fresher and brighter in there.
 
 Can you tell?  Pretend you can.  (Oh, and I guess this free frame I got and strung clothes line on to display Christmas cards is sticking around...for now at least.)
 
The crisp white paint showcases our matching built ins much better, I think.There's one on each side of the fireplace (Holding my much loved collection of Blue Striped Robinson Ransbottom Pottery).  I wish I could get it all in one shot for you.  But anyway, here they are.


 And for the next project, I got my sewing machine out.  Totally not a big deal project, but settling in, pressing that foot petal, that familiar whirl, creating something out of nothing in a matter of seconds...well, it all felt so good.  I need to get my sewing area set up so I can settle into a bit of daily sewing.  I miss it.

Anyway, I had made these for my son's nursery a few years ago.  Only one set, floor to ceiling. Problem is, none of these rooms in our new house has a lone window.


So, I chopped them up and made pillows.  Not a fancy or glamorous project, but something that was created in jiffy.  A project in a jiffy, just what I needed.

The little projects, the big projects.  I'm chipping away at this place each and everyday. It's amazing what even 15 minutes-1 hour a day can add up to.  
I can't be the only one working on house projects.  
Tell me, what are you working on and/or what's your next project?
 
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Five Bucks and a Thrift Shop

Now...this was a challenge.  I arrived at the thrift store without cash.  I scraped up $5.50.  Had to stay under that.  Challenge on.

So...starting from the bottom, I got a big bin and two fab vintage sheets ($0.50 a piece!).  Can't you see the sheets as table cloths and the bin filled with iced drinks for summer BBQs?

And I got interlocking puzzles-5 of them (and a John Deere!), Toy Story Dominios, wooden block puzzle and subtraction cards....much of which will be put away for future gifts. 
 


Grand Posted by Picasatotal?  $5.26. 
Challenge met.



Three Little Loves

Three more little loves from this farmhouse.
1) Hangers. Oodles of wooden ones were left here.
 
2) Jugs.  Some I had, but two were found here thus far. (I wonder if there's more!).  After some major cleaning...as in hours for one jug (mouse nest=gross), they're memories preserved.

3) The woodwork and the detail. This is one of the mantles.
 
Posted by PicasaI keep showing you more, but there's still so much more to see.  Hang in there, I'll keep snapping pictures.

We're going to make it.

I'd love to sit down and tell you that this house move has been bright and cheery.  Don't get me wrong, we love love love this house and are blessed beyond belief to call this place home. However, I cannot say this transition has been uneventful.  There's certainly been oodles of moments of glee...but we have moved into a project.  We all know that I love a project, but having two kids under the age of two and then moving into a project, while still owning a second home has been challenging.  Especially when just about ever appliance, the toilet, a water pump, etc etc etc broke in 6 months, fozen pipes, heating bills are through the roof with the frigid temperatures, trying to figure out how these radiators work to keep us comfortable is challenging and the latest...my husband falling through the roof of our 'secret room'...into the kitchen (don't worry...his ego and back are a bit sore, he'll live).  It perhaps would have been a bit easier if I would have taken time off from work or hired someone to tend to the children while we do the work...or better yet, just hire out. But I just can't bring myself to.  I know, I have issues.

It's so easy to focus on the challenges.  However, in doing so, we would overlook the celebrations.  And there's been soooo many. Family and friends giving us birthday love.  Our neighbors helping us everytime we have (another) problem.  A little extra cash generated here and there to go towards these things that keep breaking. Another friend giving us some items that were on our wish list for free (brooder light and bigger recycling bins)...and she didn't even know those were on our wish list.   My husband's fall kept him home from work, which is just what we needed...time together. Such unexpected blessings running rampant.We can't get so focused on what is wrong that we can't see what's right.  There's so much that's right in our life.  In fact, when I think of it, there's only teeny tiny challanges.  The rest is beyond amazing...surpasses even my colorful childhood fantasies of adulthood.

And you know what the best part is?  Something my husband said really resonated with me.  "You know, all the worries and stress we have...our kids have no clue.  They just love where they live and they love living, learning and growing with us."


A phrase we hear so often is "Mama, I so happy ".  You know. I am pretty happy too.  Even with this gaping hole in our kitchen ceiling. 

Babies in a Basket

I set out to get some more pictures of our growing baby...in a basket of course.  We find her incredibly cute and easy to love.  Perhaps you agree?

 






But, all of a sudden, she had company.

Which, by her face, you can tell he stole her show.

 I love to watch them interact.




After he annoyed her enough, he was left to the basket by himself.  I think that was his goal.  He's quite a kid...we love him oodles too.



 



Fire Station Play....and a table salvaged.

Want to make a two year old so incredibly happy?   How about waking up to a fireman playset?  Fit for a very important (albeit short) firefighter. We're lucky to have this stuff hanging around the house.

Sleeping quarters, a fireman coat and boots, a papertowel roll for a hose.
 
A plantoys firestation wtih some firetrucks, firefighter play snacks and hats, fire fighter books.

And of course, our radio flyer firetruck.
 
And a black and white Dalmatian...or Maine Coon Cat.

And the verdict?
 
Three cheers!

And a happy boy!
 
 
And an annoying cat.  Wait, did I just say that?

 
 
And this dropleaf table...I cannot believe I've never shared the story behind this table.  You may have seen it in our old kitchen. My husband and I went on an 8 mile run (from my home to work) to pick up our vehicle.  On the way home, I mentioned a tiny little request...to pick up that table we saw on the side of the road.  That JUNK?  That's what he said.  Okay, yes, there was thick, tacky and worn veneer on top that was peeling.  Plus there were stacks of stickers plastered all over it.  It did look like junk. I secretly wasn't sure if it was going to be fit for anything but garage storage.  But, I convinced him and he grumbled away as we put it in our trunk.

Well, I got home and started peeling the veneer off.  I used a towel and iron to melt/scrap the glue off.  There was beautiful wood underneath that was really spruced up with a couple coats of polyurethane.  It's very steady and has turned out to be a hardworking piece of furniture.  I think my husband now eats humble pie about this one.  Although, truth be told, I have picked up some non-salvageable junk in my day. This one ended up having quite a bit of characther...for FREE.  I love that word.

 
 
I just love the wood.

And the two hunkered down next to it, reading about firetrucks.
 
 
Anyway, I'm sure this is the first of many playsets that will be in our rotation.  I do love pretend play.  If you're interested, maybe I'll post more.  Or if I'm blabbering, I hope you'd let me know (exception...the BOG tells me I'm blabbering enough...he can shush). :)
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