One year later--what we are doing

JMJ

Seeing as I have not posted in over a year, I thought it was time to get something up here.  There are many happenings to share from the last year, but I will start with what is happening now.  Hopefully, I will do "catch-up posts" along the way to fill in the gaps.  (though I don't have a great tract record with posting here, do I?)

The kids and I have been working hard to get items ready to sell at the Redbud festival.

Here is what everyone is doing:

Joseph makes bird houses.  Craig cut down several poplar trees on our property to make room for our orchard.  We had Jack Donahue of TimberWorks out with his portable sawmill to mill them into dimensional lumber.  We used them to side our horse shelter (will post that beauty soon) and still had LOTS left over.  I had no idea that poplar was such a beautiful wood--and rot resistant, too!  Craig showed Joseph how to use the miter saw and he has been a birdhouse-making-fool for  a couple of months, now.  Craig told him if he made a dozen to go up around our property, he could then make them to sell.  Joseph not only made them for us, but he donated a set of three houses and a feeder to his school fundraiser auction.  Now, he is making them to sell at the Redbud festival on Saturday.

Aine and Cecily have been helping me make sourdough bread that we sell to a few people in our parish community.  We are making it for ourselves, so making extra and selling it has been fun.  It is really tasty, if I do say so myself, and is about as healthy as bread can get.  We are making multiple batches to sell at the festival--some made of white flour, some whole wheat flour, and some of home-ground hard white wheat flour.

Marshmallows: if you have never had a homemade marshmallow, you've never lived!  Okay, I am exaggerating, but I don't even LIKE store-bought marshmallows and I LOVE these.  They are made from water, gelatin, and honey.  That's it!  I am making several batches to sell at the festival.

Henry has been very intently (or maybe I should say "intensely" because everything Henry does is intense!) making wooden swords.  He's made at least a dozen with the intent of selling them this weekend.  Though, I don't know that he has been able to resist playing with them . . . if there are any left, he will sell them this weekend.  :)

I opened an Etsy shop and have been trying to make more clay figures, focusing on saints--especially St. Nicholas--and nativities.

The girls have also been making adorable little clay animals to sell along side mine.  I don't have any pictures of their work yet, but I will post some when I do.  I will have Spiering Photography get pictures of all the kids work to show you.  

I began drawing again.  Drawing is really where my heart lies!  My dear friend Mandy Hain of https://piccolebellezze.wordpress.com/fall-art-lessons/drawing-workshop-front-royal/ went on to become a professional artist and offers art classes for children.  She is an amazing teacher as well as being a talented artist!  She offered a portrait drawing class for adults and after that I was hooked on drawing again.  It is very hard to find the time, but when I do, I wish I could never stop.  So, I offer 8"x10" portraits at my Etsy store.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/SicutCervus

So, if you would like to take a scenic drive, enjoy some live music and visit quaint Browntown this weekend, stop by and see us!  

A few pictures of the kids

JMJ

Not many words today.  Just pictures.  The kids have found lots of wildlife here on our new property.  We only managed to get pictures of the turtle and the newt.  There have been lizards, foxes, bears, butterflies, wild rabbits, raccoons, deer, hummingbirds and opossums.

Can you believe that these two big boys mow the lawn?  We are so proud!  

 Want an unripened grape?  Me neither!  But Charlie sure likes to pick them!

Lucinda and the gang

I know.  I know.  It's been too long since I've posted.  Yeah, it's been 8 months.  I know!  It's been a very full eight months!  I'll try to write about the move and the old house and the kids and spiritual growth and the garden I wasn't going to plant sometime soon, but for now, here are the kids having fun in the back yard.  

What a blessed life we lead!

Kids growing . . .

JMJ

Working with one hand here, but I wanted to share these photos of the kids.

JMJ

Just after Thanksgiving, Craig's father came out for a long over due visit (we hadn't seen him since the Thanksgiving after Cecily was born).  It was a wonderful visit, and he also gave us a gift that I can't ever thank him for enough: he finished the remodeling of our kitchen.  He put in a new floor, trim, the remaining counter top, and threshold on all the doorways.  It looks FANTASTIC!  He also put the trim in our upstairs bathroom which we have needed to do since we remodeled that bath in 2006.  Oh, and he patched a big hold in a wall, replaced a broken window, secured some loose drawers in one of our dressers, and finally helped us process our venison.  And that was just in the time he has leftover between playing with the kids and relaxing with Craig and I.  We are SO grateful to him.  I feel that we are so much closer to being ready to rent this house out now.  I wish I had a picture to post of the new floor in the kitchen; actually I before and after comparison is definitely coming!

While I'm at it, here are a few more pictures from the last year, having nothing to do with the fixing up of the house, but having everything to do with our beloved children.  I wish I knew how to place the photos in a more pleasing composition.  If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know.

 Good night and Merry Christmas to you, on the eve of Epiphany.

but he hasn't out-grown those dimples!  Thank goodness! 

Getting to be such a young man . . . 

The Boys

Doesn't he look all grown up and handsome?  

Aine was having too much fun to care that
her face was covered in dirt.  

I think the dirt makes her look older,
 what do you think?  

Cecily trying not to smile.

Cecily giving up the fight.