Trees New Outfit

It's been a hot minute since I blogged. 

Fall is always busy as we rush against the weather to get projects done before winter. I DO plan to post stories and photos from the last 2 months....I don't like the trend which makes it look like we stop living each fall and reappear in the winter. ::snort::  It was compounded this year by the fact we had a BIG event at the start of fall...and big events often stymie me! We've also had a rather busy fall. 

The trees have lost their leaves and have been eerily naked. It was fun to see them clothed so beautifully this morning. 

I was grateful Michael had gotten my auto-starter working. It was nice to jump into a warm car this morning. 

Everything is so pretty with a fresh coat of snow. 

Michael stoked the fire, I was canning and we stayed toasty in the house. It was so warm I had to pull out the winter wardrobe. 😏

We usually have snow to stay by Halloween.  Last year we had snow early and it stayed. This year we've had snow which melts by afternoon. I had thought this may be IT - but the forecast is rain for the next few days....

Michael came home with pizza just as canning was done. I am loving my new American canner.  We had decided last year a second canner would be nice.  I set about ordering another Presto canner.  I waited for a year. Sometime in that year we put our name on a list for an American canner which was "expected." They called and Michael said we should do it. I would NEVER have spent so much for a canner - but we can a LOT and it is so nice to be able to can bigger batches. Yes, I DO indeed need 2 canners.

Twenty-eight jars of broth are a pretty sight. I added 4 jars of rice to fill the canner. 

The oven quit. We were happy to have a second second kitchen. Michael plans to dig into the silly thing. We bought it new 2 years ago. 

Impromptu Winter Tea Party

While it IS still fall, the weather has taken a turn this week. One of these times it will turn and just keep going....and we suspect this may be it? 

Allie loves winter. Stacia dislikes winter.  Allie woke up saying, "SNOW!!!"

Stacia woke up and groaned, "SNOW!" and came upstairs in tears. 

I decided an outing was called for after school.  I knew Arielle would be feeling cooped up as well.  I called and asked if the girls and I could drop by their home. We bundled up and drove through our favorite coffee shack.  We got tea and scones and headed to CoRielle's for an impromptu, "Welcome (maybe) winter tea." 

Benny offered to let "Brother" and Allie play with his dinosaur. 

It was a fun break for all of us. The boys were thrilled to see us. We've not been to the library in MONTHS...but winter is the season for lots of reading.....we ran through there too. 

I think we're properly armed to embrace winter! 

Millie Visits the Groomer

 Millie had a date with the groomers today! It took FOREVER! BUT she's a new dog. We felt last time was too short. This time I asked them to be sure she could see and to get the snarls out. They left her longer...but they BLOW DRIED her hair...she has no curls...she's one giant fluff ball. She looks like a little bear.  The dip on top is due to a bit matt Stacia had removed. 

I kinda like her this way...I think Stacia likes her shorter....shorter it will be next time....shoot...shorter will mean less trips to the groomer. 

The Girls Are Surprised

Backstory: We have never been able to afford to give our children new cars when they get their license or leave home. We did sort of have a thing going.... The military moved us fairly often. We always had the family 15 pass van, and we'd buy a little commuter for Michael in our various locations.  When we moved, we either had to drive it cross country, store it or sell it. When the girls left home, we gave them a car. Josiah bought his own. Jamin got the Honda when he moved out and we pcs'd from TX. At that time Krista got my little Toyota (I think it was), rather than us storing it when we were in Japan.  We were in Japan when Jared needed a car, and he purchased a Jeep.  We were retiring when Arielle left home and she took our commuter from CA.  We didn't think ahead to how we'd handle this when we were no longer moving and selling commuters every few years.  😂 Nolan reached driving age about the time we were looking to retire our Jeep - which we bought to tow behind the RV.  It's still running for him - though held together with duct tape.  Alex has been using JaRissa's truck and is planning to buy it.  We've been trying to figure out what to do for Stacia. Allie has a truck which will either be fixed or sold...she's in the process of deciding....and we've been teaching the girls to drive in my van...thinking eventually we'd need to get them something to drive....

KrUke were recently blessed with a new to them Jeep. They wanted to play forward the blessing. The girls had NO CLUE what was up when Luke and Krista stopped by this evening. Yep, they are pretty great people. They gave the girls Krista's old car. Whoever needs it will drive it. This is a blessing to Michael and me as well. There will be time for the girls to save up for reliable transportation. The Vibe will serve them quite well. 

Check out the circled keys

They are motivated to finish learning to drive in the van, get their licenses, and move on to learning to drive a manual transmission. 

Note: I was going to get a photo of the girls with the car, but it snowed before I got the photo, and it hasn't stopped snowing...

Baking and Games

 Josiah and Liv came out to visit today while Carrie is working.  Stacia  baked a little cake for them to decorate. She taught Livie how to make a fondant rose. 

CoRielle dropped by too.  Benny loves to bake and cook. I wanted him to feel involved so handed him the pumpkin of candy corn. I love the concentration on their faces...well Liv is a sugar monster. LOL 

Benny is a bit sheepish about how carried away he got! I was proud of the girls for encouraging his creativity.  Next time I'll give him a set number to put on the cake. 

It's always fun when the "big Gherkins" drop by.  Josiah brought a game this time. We played a rousing game of Taboo Junior together. I actually enjoyed it better than Taboo and all were able to play. 

Cory, Stacia, Liv, Allie, Danny, Arielle, Cy, Benny 

It did take a bit of cooperation for Benny to participate, but he hung in there well and accepted help from his teammates. 

This was a relaxing end to a great week. I am realizing anew how truly blessed we are to have these people  nearby. LOL 

Millie at the Movies

Fridays are Pizza AND nights....and a game, and a movie...usually we're ready to simply veg with a movie by Friday night. 

Michael suggested Swiss Family Robinson tonight. Millie approved of this movie about gloriously big dogs and tigers. 

 Millie added a new dynamic to the movie. 

Surprise!

 Surprise!

I opened the door to head out to the compost bed and to feed the rabbit and chickens. I got out by woodstove and heard a noise. A quick check revealed a moose. I backed up and took a photo. 

As I continued to pan right, I discovered TWO MORE moose. 

This is a good reminder of the season change. The moose are certainly back in force.