A Lighthearted Look at our Foibles and Frailties

Twas two nights before Christmas and I and my spouse
Had just finished setting some traps for that mouse
It kept us awake eating holes in our wall
It can't be a mouse - it isn't that small.

It's a RAT, said my hubby, coming up with a thought.
I'll put some PB on that trap that you bought.
We'll stop their noises, destruction and stink.
That should do it; stop them; catch them, I think.

The roof has been leaking, our spirits deflated.
Our sense of adventure has really abated.
Crowded and cluttered, a bit overwrought,
Still building and working on this Kitsap lot.

We're tired and weary, old bones need a rest.
Our stamina and patience put to the test.
We'll make it, we've got to, this is all that we've got.
This old rundown cabin on this old rundown lot.

Christmas is coming, we've got to be jolly,
Put aside sad thoughts of the Doylesville Folly.
We must rise to the occasion, remember the season
That Christ came to earth, for a very good reason.

For we cannot survive without His shining Light
Each day is too dark if you live just by sight
We'll trust Him to guide us, to bring us all through
And we'll make this a home if it's the last thing we do!

WISHING YOU AND YOURS A VERY BLESSED AND MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Rosemary Chicken Soup for What Ails Ya

So...we've been working hard on our rustic cottage/cabin  (ok, shack).  We've finally got a working bathroom and a door on one of the bedrooms.  We've taken time out (?) to move the pile of firewood off the driveway and start stacking it against the pumphouse (which now has a tarp over it (to cover the hole that Hubby made when he fell through the rotted roof...)  He's fine...the pumphouse, not so much. 
When we couldn't actually drive out of the driveway because of rain & mud & slithering about, we had gravel delivered yesterday.  Much better - almost civilized.  Right there.  Just on the driveway.


We're heating our cottage/cabin (ok, shack) with funky little milkhouse heaters and a tiny electric 'fireplace' heater.  Did I mention that there is no insulation in this place?  Mornings are a bit chilly.  Two cups of coffee helps.

I've had a cold that seems to wax & wane.  Right now it's waxing as I woke up with a killer headache and my throat is STILL sore and all I could think about was Rosemary Chicken Soup.  Years ago, a favorite lunch place served it, but only on Thursdays.  We would occasionally get to town and actually manage to remember it was Thursday and we'd have this delicious soup.  Eventually, I recreated it at home and it morphs into whatever version I feel like eating at the time.  This morning, I NEEDED it. 

Did I mention a kitchen anywhere in the description of our cottage/ cabin (ok, shack)?  No?  That's because we don't have one yet.  We've got an 18' travel trailer that is functioning as our temporary kitchen...for now. Several steps away from the cottage/cabin (ok, shack). Soon I will blow a gasket and Hubby will hurry up the kitchen part of the cottage/cabin (ok, shack) but for now...it's the trailer or you don't eat. 

Trailer has gas burners, limited water and about 14" of counter space to work on.  Oh, and the little table.  Today I gathered ingredients from the freezer (on the porch), garden bed (front of the building), fridge (in the cottage/cabin ok shack) and the actual trailer and made my beloved soup.  It turned out FABULOUS.  You'll wish you'd been here to eat it and we're going to eat it again for dinner tonight. You should probably make travel arrangements right now. Yum.

The last three nights our alarm clock has gone off at midnight and again at 5am.  No, we weren't going anywhere and no, we do not care to wake up at these particular hours.  I couldn't figure out how to stop it.  Three nights in a row. The first night I hit OFF.  The second night, I jerked the cord from the electrical socket.  Finally, last night at the midnight alarm, I snatched it up, staggered to the door and flung it into the yard.  We'll have to get a new clock.  That one no longer works. 

When I woke up (did I mention I'm under the weather?) this morning, I was dreaming about teeny tiny squirrels.  No, not baby squirrels.  We're talking...caterpillar-sized squirrels.  They were adorable and I wish I had one.  Maybe I need medication.

I've got 'before' pictures of the place and I keep looking at them to remind myself that we are making progress, otherwise it seems a bit slow.  Grand adventures were a lot more fun when we were younger and every project didn't start with 'ouch, it hurts when I do this' and end with heating pads & ice packs!  Ok, maybe a bit of exaggeration (or not) but it is rather fun to imagine up the new gardens & animal pens, sewing room & kitchen and stuff.  We have discovered Pinterest.  It was very entertaining until the gravel truck took out the internet cable while graveling the driveway yesterday.  Sigh.  They will come next week and re-connect.  It may be a longish Winter, but by Spring we'll be newly fired up for the whole project, I'm sure.

Well, since  you're still thinking about that soup, I'd best give you the recipe:

Deceptively Simple Rosemary Chicken Soup

Carrots - chopped into smallish cubes, cooked in broth - I used Turkey, but you can use chicken.... til crisp/tender
Onion & fresh celery w/ leaves, sauteed in butter til tender
Chicken breast - cut into smallish pieces, sauteed in coconut oil with herbs until cooked through  ( I used dried thyme, salt, pepper, dried basil, fresh rosemary...be generous)

Put all in crockpot, add a few bay leaves and more broth to desired brothiness and simmer.

Just before mealtime, add cooked pasta of choice (I used organic veggie bow ties) and organic heavy cream.

Serve in low, flat soup bowls...pass the salt & pepper.

Wow.  Good for what ails ya. 

I'm sitting in my recliner today, resting for a change while I try to rid myself of this cold bug.  The thing to be glad about is that I can still go hug the grandbabies - they've already got the bug....because THEY are the ones who gave it to me!!!

In my new neighborhood there is a Pumpkin Farm just down the road!  The sweet people who own it go to the community church we are newly attending.  We joined our family in a Pumpkin Farm outing a week or so ago and were gifted a 'Welcome' pumpkin by the Pumpkin Farm Family! 

Well, back to resting in my chair.  Hubby is off to our old town to get my van repaired (air conditioning cover blew off at some point in our move), get his glasses repaired (they broke when the lawn tractor rolled out of the utility trailer and squashed him flat) and meet a friend for lunch.  Life is never dull. 

Good-bye for now and may God bless you with a closer walk with Him!  I'll be back soon with more 'fun' from the cottage/cabin (ok, shack) on this little farm!!

Has Anyone Seen My Toothbrush?

Sixty is the new thirty!  NOT!!!!!  Oh.  My.  Word.  When Dave & I first met, we were 19 years old and attended the same big church and also a college-age youth group.  It met at an old house where all the kids would gather, eat pizza, pray, sing and someone would give a devotional.  Well, during the singing, future hubby came over and asked me out!  (Me, a shy, introverted kinda girl!)  Oh, well.  I said yes anyhow.  That was the beginning of a long friendship, still going on today!  We both loved the outdoors and old abandoned farms back then. 

Fast forward to recent times:  Twenty two years ago we started an 80 acre farm, with custom-built 3000 sq ft home, barn, shop, greenhouses, outbuildings, fenced pastures, orchard...And now, at age 60 we've suddenly become shadows of our younger selves and we're going back to an old abandoned farm to start over.

Some days we wonder if we've totally lost it, but we also know that it's right.  We've prayed about it and stepped out in faith and God will be with us all the way.  Of course, that's not to say it's a piece-of-cake, so to speak.  This is HARD! 

People keep asking WHY?  Why would you leave this beautiful place?  It's because family is more important that stuff or places.  My two younger kid are adults still living at home with health problems.  Living 45 minutes from everything is hard for them.  They've got virtually no life outside this farm.  And now their sister (with my grandbabies) is 2 1/2 hours away and wishes we were there.  THAT, my friend, is why we are leaving this beautiful farm.

Today is the last day of owning the farm.  At 4pm this afternoon, other people will continue on what we started there.  May God bless them and give them as much happiness and joy there as we had!

These quick pics are all before and after/in process pictures of the 'new' place...mostly outdoors.  We're basically camping until improvements are made in the lil house.  After a couple days of rest, we shall continue the 'great remodel' at our new-to-us farm and begin making all new memories in an all new to us adventure!  Fasten your seatbelts, it could be a bumpy ride!

The Adventure Continues aka Don't Sit Down or You'll Fall Asleep!

 Well, the short sale finally finished up and we are the proud (tired?) owners of 18 lovely acres in the Kitsap County area of lovely Puget Sound!  My grandparents lived just an hour away along Hood Canal for many years - from the time I was 8 until I was about 24, so in some ways it's like going home again.  On clear, sunny days there are views of the rugged Olympic Mountains and many lovely glimpses of the Sound.   Our acreage has a rustic 'tear-down' cabin on it and the previous owner was most definitely a hoarder....at least of outdoor building materials!  Many many piles & stacks of old & decaying building materials that will take us much effort, time and dollars to dispose of.  

 We've already hauled several huge loads to the dump and have more piled and ready to go.  The inside of our temporary abode is gutted and now ready for new everything - from electrical wiring and plumbing, to sheetrock, lights and bathroom & kitchen fixtures!  Simultaneously, we are packing at the 'old' place and beginning to move our belongings to a 40' 'Dry Box' storage unit and painting the interior of our home in preparation to list it for sale in the next week or so.  At this point, if we sit down...we fall asleep!

My rabbits are currently being bunny-sitted (bunny-sat?) at daughter's house and I've readied a new-to-me chicken coop for the birdies.  Next, to figure out a shed & pasture for our 10 goats!  Much to do!

Last trip up, I determined that we needed a comfy place to sit so that we could rest a bit on our breaks from our laboring so we headed to a couple of thrift shops.  I confess to praying that perhaps the Lord could just find us a couple of recliners so that I wouldn't waste a lot of time shopping.....and voila!  Found two just-right for us and cheap to boot!  

 While daughter, grandbaby and I were shopping, we had a wonderful experience with a good Samaritan!  The Goodwill store had a huge set of retro red & white children's toy kitchen pieces up front.  One part of the set was a red with chrome legs childrens table & chairs. I immediately decided to purchase it.  Daughter & I looked at the fridge, stove, sink & stacked washer/dryer unit and wished we could buy it, but frugality prevailed.

 A little bit later, I was approached by a stranger who asked if I was the one who purchased the table & chairs.  He then asked why I didn't buy the rest of the set!  I thought the questioning was rather odd, but he wasn't threatening and there were lots of people around, so I chatted with him.  I told him I just couldn't afford the whole set.  He asked if I'd like to have it.  I repeated that, yes, I'd like it, but couldn't really afford it all.  He told me that he had no grandchildren and would like to purchase it for mine!!!  When I got to the checkout counter a bit later, he had indeed purchased the ENTIRE set (about $130!) for my grandbabies!

Yes, Virginia, there ARE good Samaritans (aka nice people) still out there.  What a blessing!  A lovely beginning to a huge move to a new neighborhood, for sure.

 Well, I've had my coffee break and now I've got more boxes to fill, rooms to mask and paint and trips to make, so off I go!   A couple more pictures and I'm signing off until next time....

 Aliens in a foreign land, lol.....

(One of the main and compelling reasons to move from your home of 20-plus years and uproot your entire existence, put yourself through many hardships and difficulties....
This little charmer..to your right!  Can't resist that sweet little smile and happy-to-see-us grins!)

Toodles!!!  (No, his name is not Toodles....lol)

"Adventures, Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner!"

 Times, they are a changing...At least here on the farm, they are! Last time I wrote was 6 months ago and I said we were getting the farm ready to sell.  Well, we are STILL getting the farm ready, but we've made a lot of progress and are almost done.

Way back at the first of November, we made an offer on a piece of land just a few miles from family but a long ways from home.  It is a complicated 'short sale' and we are still waiting!  It seems as though it might finally be resolved one way or another this next week, but time will tell.

We sit in the mornings with our coffee in hand and chat about the business of the day.  "Are we up for this adventure?"  "Can we build another house?"  "Are we too OLD for all this???"  and other mornings, we ARE those long ago 20-year-olds, newly married and ready for whatever life and the Good Lord put in our path!

If all goes accordingly, at the new 18 acre farm, we will 'gut' a little cabin (picture above) & re-model the inside; build a garage and put our home up for sale in preparation to move.  Once the house is sold, we will simultaneously move our 39+ year accumulation of STUFF to the 'new' place, live in a cabin and build a new house!  Whew!

Sigh.  I have a history of panic attacks/anxiety disorder and this long wait & thoughts of moving are keeping me right on the edge, for sure.  You can bet that prayers for peace & health are right there on the top of my list every day!  God is faithful and I'm holding together...mostly.  I recently read a line from one of Elisabeth Elliott's books that really struck me and I'm trying to remind myself of it when I start to get overwhelmed:  "Just do the next thing."  Biblical, for sure, as He tells us not to be anxious about tomorrow.  It's always tempting to imagine all the things ahead (both good and bad!) but really, we just need to get through today.

We won't plant a garden this year - that right there will be really strange.  We've always had a garden...as a matter of fact, I can't remember a year we did't have at least a small one.  I'm planning to stop my Ebay & Etsy stores if our purchase goes through and we've whittled our farm animal population way down.  I've still got 8 keeper rabbits, 8 members of the goat herd and a handful of hens.

 The best part about moving is that we'll be closer to our grandbaby & more family.  He is, of course, the cutest child ever to exist - even cuter than my own children were!  And, to make the future even brighter, he is going to be a big brother in August!  Blessing upon blessing!

So, simpler, more down to earth farm life for today:  I sewed up a bunch of primitive pigs this morning, made a backing for a quilt that I'm going to put on my quilting frame, made Veggie Beef Soup & Focaccia bread for dinner and chased a baby goat all over the bottom of the field (outside the fence!) until we finally caught her and deposited her back in the field with her mama!  The sad bleating was what alerted us to her plight, but she did NOT appreciate us trying to rescue her, nonetheless!  The others were VERY helpful - gathering round and dancing about in goat-ful glee that we had come out to play!

 We are enjoying homemade cocoa almost every evening now that the goats are milking again - unsweetened cocoa powder, honey, our own vanilla and goat milk!  What could be better?  (Maybe toast and jam to go with?)

We've been (shhh, don't tell anyone!) buying cheap Vodka at our Costco store....and making extracts!!!   We've got bottles of vanilla and now some AMAZING bottles of orange extract as well!  Such fun!  You'd have laughed to see us trying to find Vodka the first time - I've never bought alcohol in my life and we had to look at a lot of bottles before we found it.  Who knew there were so many varieties, lol??

Well, that's the update from the Hilltop.  All is well and we're learning patience (are we?).  Well, we're trying!  Until next time....

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not to thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy path."   Proverbs 3:5-6 

P.S.  I ask you, is he not the most precious and adorable, sweet & lovable, cute, smart and smilingest (is that a word??) boy you've ever SEEN????  This Grammy is smitten (could you tell?).