Peach season

Little helper.  He's always ready to climb!

Rob attached a baseball hat to a long stick to reach the peaches on top that are ripe.  They are so sweet!

Yesterday, we got a package!  I've ordered several items, as gifts for others and myself from Barberry + Lace.  Leigh is a mom of four kids and does a great job with her jewelry business!  The rectangular sterling silver bar necklace (in the photo where I'm holding our sleeping baby), I ordered about 5 years ago and wear it almost everyday.  You can get it inscribed with whatever you like, a name or word.  I chose "mama bear" for mine, but got one for my daughter with "sweet sixteen" on it.

If you click HERE, you'll get $10 off and so will I.  Hope you have a great weekend!

I'm thinking a peach pie would be a good idea!

Happy February!

 Olivia and I made a garland of hearts.  Happy February!  ♥  Not only this month, but all year around, we should show our love for one another.  

"Love one another"

-John 13:34

Sometimes it's hard, relatives who live far away, or friends who don't seem to make an effort to get together or do something that may upset you.  It's not easy for me to forgive and just love...instead I turn to those who are kind to me, and reciprocate their kindness.  Any helpful advice on how to "love your enemies"?  Although I don't have any enemies, there are people who are more difficult to love.

 Hannah...kissing Velvet...our black kitty. 
Velvet is one of those...tough love types, she will accept your affection, purr, purr...and then swipe her paw at you when she's had enough and leave you with a scratch.  I don't understand her.

Yesterday I saw that Shutterfly is giving 10 FREE cards, I had already made some and ordered them, so I immediately took another photo on the same card that I had saved and am going to be getting 10 more soon...to send to those I love the very most.

Use code  XOXOCARDS when checking out!!!

High of 20'F

Yes, it was a cold day, but the sun came out in the afternoon.  The same today, high of 20'F expected but the sun is shining on the snow and the sky is blue with a few clouds...

First thing, we feed the animals...I went out into the backyard and was surprised to see the chickens on the grape trellis!  Pepper had a good inch of snow on her back and when I helped her down I tried to brush it off, but much of it was actually ice and stuck to her feathers!

I lifted the oldest girl Nutmeg down first and put her in the coop.  She will be 3 years old this spring.  I felt like Cinnamon and Pepper were telling me "I'm scared and don't want to get down."

Then, we went to a nearby park and went sledding with Lusy, who ran free, sniffed in the woods and ran as fast as she could, like a wild animal.

 Olivia trudging up the hill with her sled.  We talked about the possibility of harnessing the sled to Lusy, since she had so much energy, and hoping she'd bring the sled up the hill...

 Lusy takes a rest.

Checked in on the chickens again, all ice and snow melted off their feathers and they ventured out in the snow.  They even had laid eggs in their nest inside the coop...I was thankful. 

We gave the chickens a treat, some cubes of cheese (cut to about 5cm by 5cm) as a thank you!

Frost on the lettuce

It's has been quite chilly the past few days.  This morning the lettuce was frosty. 

I let the chickens out of their coop and they roamed the garden, munching on lettuce, carrot and beet tops and bugs...

See how scrawny Cinnamon looks now that she's lost so many feathers?

 Velvet our kitty also enjoyed the cold morning and sunshine.

So funny how Pepper has just 1 tail long feather left.

 We got some slushy snow yesterday (that is NOT dandruff...ha ha ha):

P.S. I awoke with a start at 12 midnight to a lot of squawking and am now wondering if something is bothering the chickens (besides moulting), I looked around, didn't see anything, and in the morning I spent a lot of time with them, while the roamed the garden and all seems fine, thankfully.

Our chickens are moulting...

A couple of days ago I awoke with a sudden start and looked at the clock 5:58am.  Lots of squawking going on outside, so I slipped on some shoes and went to see what was going on...

Feathers all over the place.  Our older chicken, Nutmeg (lower right), moulted last year, but I think the younger two who were born last year, are upset as they are moulting for the first time.  It's got to be a confusing thing for them...

Pepper in the garden, one of the little watermelons left...and Cinnamon found a tiny tomato to eat.  When the chickens moult, they stop laying eggs for a few months.  We'll miss that.

 

Here are some older pictures, so you can see their tail feathers (Cinnamon especially had long black beautiful feathers)!

Life is like that, full of cycles that are constantly giving us changes to appreciate life and all of it's seasons.

Bobbing for apples

Have you ever tried?  It is not easy. Lots of laughter ensued.  You really have to submerge your head in the water!  So, we decided it's legal to grasp the stem of the apple in your teeth. 

 What do you think of the government "shutdown," or partial shutdown?  We had a great discussion in our house about it today, the girls asking about the budget and how exactly money is given to the government and if it's backed with gold/silver and where it is printed and distributed.  We all learned something from this...

A little music...3/4 guitar and mandolin.  They're practicing Hotel California.

Blessing of fruit and vegetables

We went to church this morning, for the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord on Mount Tabor.   The priest prays and sprinkles holy water on the first fruits that the faithful have brought to church (we picked tomatoes and grapes from our garden this morning, and also bought plums, pears and grapes, at the store).

 Matthew 17:1–9

 "And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elijah talking with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only. And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead."

Hannah after we got home...

Did you see that?  If you look closely, you'll see something under the step.  It's Cinnamon, Pepper and Nutmeg all laying in the dirt.  This is one of their favorite spots.

We cooked shrimp in olive oil, added some fresh garlic and ate it with pasta for lunch over the weekend.  I ♥ raw shrimp, as you can cook it the way you want and it has SO much more flavor than the pre-cooked shrimp.

This weekend, the public pool closed, but we got in one last visit...all 4 of us went off the diving board.  Olivia is getting good at diving!