So this little story began way back in September...
And at this point, it looks more like this:
I was out of commission for the first trimester, but now I am feeling much better. My energy is starting to return, and I am feeling a lot less picky about exactly what I eat. I am still eating about a quart of yogurt every day, and a lot of pickles, but have added many other lovely foods back into my repertoire. Being that I am a foodie at heart, this feels much better to me. It's so strange to genuinely love a particular food, but to have no interest in eating it!
(A while back now) we finally put our wood stove in!
Now the cold nights are warmer. We're still figuring out exactly what we need to do to keep it warm all night long, but as our wood has gotten a bit more dry and we've had a chance to learn more of the nuances of the stove, it has improved.
We have had many visits from the herd of wild turkeys- all 18 of them! They particularly love the crabapples that are still hanging onto the trees in the yard. Incidentally, so do I!
Our own turkeys made their way to the freezer just before Thanksgiving. We kept 5 Bourbon Reds for breeding- one tom and 4 hens. It's amazing how much noise a single tom still can make when he gobbles!
Winter arrived, and made everything so lovely here. Just before Thanksgiving we got about 8 to 10 inches.
and overnight, everything was transformed into a quiet, blanketed wonderland.
The sound of the snow falling slowly off of the yurt roof was thunderous from inside. In my sleepy state, I couldn't figure out WHAT was going on!
In the morning I was stricken by beauty everywhere. Look! Our compost bins held up well.
The pines looked like perfect gnome forest trees.
The sheep girls weren't sure exactly what to think.
Magical frost covered each catkin and branch of the trees out front.
Since then the snow has melted, the muddy path down to the yurt got deeper, and we had our annual holiday sale here at the house. Jon and I didn't have a ton to add, being that we've mostly been working on the yurt. We did manage to get a few things into the mix though. I made these advent calendars, taking inspiration from my mom who makes Mer and I one every year.
And Jon and I had some macrame we had made in Argentina to add to the mix.
Kathy's beaded snowflakes adorned the tables...
along with Erin's finger puppets...
There were wall hangings, bears, and applique pillows,
yarn spun from our very own sheep!
hand-dyed scarves, and hand-felted hats and mittens that Mary made...
tiny stockings, ornaments,
felted soaps that Erin and I crafted,
and hand stitched ornaments of every kind...
little wooden people,
gnomes and needle felted critters
magic wands, fat cats...
and so many beautiful glass ornaments and window decorations...
not to mention delicious treats (including jellies and jams, flavored vinegars, dipping oils, and vanilla)
Nanny's woolen mittens,
and a lovely assortment of other wooden toys that Dick carved
to add to the splendor...
Here are just a few more things to see, all crafted by hand throughout the year by our family...
Mike was particularly fond of Erin's fat cats. He always has appreciated his likeness in felt. If you recall, when I needle felted him for Jon's birthday mobile, he peed on the gift. I can only assume this was meant as a demonstration of his gratitude and affection.
