The Daybook.....

http://www.thesimplewoman.blogspot.com/

                                                             For Today
                                                           March 9,2015
  Outside My Window.....A little chilly of a start to milk the goat but the sun is shining and promsing of a warm day ahead.

I am thinking.....That I really need to be more careful with power tools....wounded but not broken finger!

I am thankful for.....A family that comes and goes!  They are welcome here anytime and for as long as they like and I love that they feel that and do so.  I am also thankful that they each have homes of their owns that they love and cherish.  The circle of life fills me to the brim.

I am wearing.....Boyfriend jeans with a rolled up cuff, grey linen tunic, striped tee under tunic, black chucks and a grey and black multi print infinity scarf hair in a messy bun.

I am creating....STILL the shrug....a menu board for the kitchen, some painted terra cotta flower pots, and a wooden sofa table.

I am going.....To be spending many mornings here with a hot cup of coffee!  Overlooking the garden.

I am wondering.....Just how much different everything will look here in the fall after a spring and summer FULL of work?

Quote of the week.....

I am reading....STILL the read aloud one second after and the Homesman...determaned to finish the homesman by the weekend for sure this time.

I am hoping.....To have everything done in time and effectively for the baby shower in two weeks.  So excited to be having it but I always get so nervous putting things like this together.

I am learning.....To be patient with the ones that are not so patient with me.

Around the farmstead....Chicks to hatch possibly this week but definately next.  Ducks are working very hard on providing "fertile" eggs for the incubator, a new little girl came to live on the farmstead...Petunia.  She is hand fed and quite the baby.  Lumberjack is still working on the chicken feeder out of pvc pipes hopefully done this week.  Headed to the auction this week for sure hoping to get some turkey poults and a few other birds.  

In the kitchen....Worked up another recipe from the Nourishing Traditions Cookbook...A cold tomato and mint salad.  We loved it and will most definately be experimenting with it all summer long as we harvest cherry tomatoes.  I added a little organic maple syrup to this one but next time am thinking some fresh squeezed lemon.

Also made the Lumberjack a creamy blueberry pie.  Let me tell you this was the easiest thing to whip up and smelled the house up like fresh blueberries in a big way!  And it was an absolute delicious eat as well.  Going to be making this again and again.

I am pondering....Said baby shower....this will for sure be on my mind until it is over.

Pins on the agenda....

One of my favorite things.....When Firefly makes me special cards.  This one even had a bookmark in it!!

Plans for the rest of the week.....Home the first two days with lots of garden work to be done.  Wednesday a coffee date with Marcy after breakfast with my sister then a trip to Lurgans greenhouse for some herbs and cold weather veg and a stop for the organic produce order for the month.  Thursday more working around the cottage both inside and out.  Friday some shopping with the girls in town.  Saturday a family day with my sister and her family here at the cottage putting in a new front door and doing some shooting of the guns.  Sunday out anniversary day out to a Maple Syrup festival and a hike to the falls.

Photo from the week past....

February birthday celebrations in March...

With all of the weather it seemed very hard to get the family together to celebrate February Birthdays.  Only one...Katie!  Next birthday month wont be till May..until next year that is.  Then we can celebrate baby Jacobs birthdays in April!  Its so nice having everyone here...loud and full of energy.  They are all headed home and the cottage has been cleaned up and put back into order.  Ready to tuck in for the evening here.
Be well,
Lisa

Saturday.....March 7, 2015....

The sun is shining the snow is melting and the fire is burning very slowly and the windows are full on open!  LOVELY day!  Lumberjack brought home the new doe...petunia!  She is like a pet dog a tiny one at that.  Photos of her coming soon!  We finished the wall in the kitchen.  Now to finish the back corner where the cookstove will go.  Working on that next before the floor and the ceiling.  Love the progress.  Also took some time today to hang the swing in the garden.  You will find me there in the mornings with a hot cup of coffee in hand!  Until the veranda is finished then I will have plenty of enjoyable outdoor places to choose from indeed!  Winding down the day here.
Be well,
Lisa

The past few days....

Have been kinda YUCK!  My sister took sick with the flu that landed her in the hospital for three nights and four days and of course I was with her the day she actually got sick. Needless to say the last couple of days have not been pleasant!  Then it snowed....I mean SNOWED!  UGH!!  But today the sun came out and I was feeling a little more like myself however I did spend most of the day just resting.  Ready to get back to feeling active onced again.  I took some time while the Lumberjack was working on the last wall in the kitchen to butter the wooden utensils...thats about it for me for the day.  Not very productive in any way.  Looking forward to the weekend.  To be sunny and WARM!  Plans to finish the wall entirely...work on the littles in the chicken coop that need a feeder....and a new little doe girl arriving...and some time spent with the family to finally celelbrate "february" birthdays...in March none the less.  Well off to bed!
Be well,
Lisa

Tuesday.....March 3, 2015....

What a lazy day!  Did manage three pup walks and many many trips to the barn.  But overall it has been such a stress free lazy day.  Some television...reading...knitting...baking...napping!  LOVED it and it was just what I seemed to need.  I did make the cookies that I pinned.  White chocolate cranberry.  They are absolutely amazing.  Came together very well and baked up nice and soft.  Lumberjack will be thrilled.  No dessert last night and allllll night long I heard about it.  These should last him a day or two.  Headed into the kitchen to whip up a simple but filling supper.  Salmon cakes, mashed potatoes, peas and some pickled eggs and a glass of raw milk!  YUM!!  Not much on the agenda for the evening.  Gathering in the wood for the night, evening barn chores, he wants to change the oil in his tractor.  Then some reading and maybe even a little waltons.  It has just started to rain here.  We were under a winter weather advisory since 10 this am which amounted to absolutely nothing.  I am so disgusted with the hype in the weather anymore....and the local schools in PA even left out at lunch time due to the weather...weather advisory I am assuming as the roads were dry as a bone and not a thing coming out of the sky.  UGH...I like to know when theres going to be a blizzard as much as the next person but come on already...when did we start getting all hyped up over some rain and possibly a little snow!!  Well headed to the kitchen.
Be well,
Lisa

The Daybook

http://www.thesimplewoman.blogspot.com/

                                                                         For today:
                                                                     March 2, 2015

Outside my window......WIND!  Temps to be near 38 today.  Bright blue clouds now with puffy clouds.

I am thinking......About so very many things this morning.  All of the things that need to be done.  The order of how and when to arrange everything!

I am thankful for......The strength to rise up yet another morning.  This winter has me pretty worn out of late.  Im sure this being our first spring here at the cottage makes it harder as Im so anxious to get outside.

I am wearing......Remember those leather leggings I bought a few weeks ago...well I boldly wore them today for a coffee date.  Confidently as my sister in law ordered and yep I not only loved them I rocked those bad boys!!  Going to try to be more confident in my wardrobe and not worry so what others may or may not even think.  So it was the leather leggings, black sneakers, jean shirt and a black and grey floral printed infinity scarf!

I am creating.....Some time I will get that tabletop water garden finished!  Created a pin board of some of my memorabilia.  Finished a quarter of the shrug...ugh.  Determined is the word there by means of time!

I am going......To be spending every last spare moment I have to finish the shurg.

I am wondering......About our anniversary week.  Seems there is one week in March and one in April that are so very full of business and emotion.

Quote of the week.....

I am reading......Still the same....The homesman...which im hoping to finish by the weekend to watch the movie next Monday.  And One Second After is our evening read aloud, were getting into some really good meat in that one.  

I am hoping.....To have all of the spinach planted by Sunday.

I am learning......I am no weatherman and God surely does have a sense of humor.

Around the farmstead.....BABIES!!  Finally they are here.  Albeit two bucks.  Picking up a baby girl to add to the collection Wednesday...and who knows what else.  The last hatched chicks made their way to the second nursery, this one outside but still protected from the weather and other critters.  Another two weeks until the next hatch.  The lumberjack finished the beef cow barn, needs stained before photos though.  And this week we are finishing the third wall in the kitchen.  The stone walled bed for the spinach has been finished now to plant the spinach. 

                                             My morning view behind the cottage.
   

In the kitchen.....Ran out of saurkraut a few weeks ago and was craving like a mad woman.  Four fresh batches sitting in the dark for another day!

I am pondering......HAIR....to henna or not to henna!

Pins on the agenda......                       Best ever carrot cake

                                                   
                                                                        Blueberry cream pie

                                                       White chocolate cranberry cookies
                                                         They never made it last week

                                                  To be built this week for the peeps outside.

One of my favorite things.....New life here on the farmstead.

Plans for the rest of the week......Coffee date this afternoon with Missy at Nathan Miller Chocolates.  Livestock auction on Wednesday and a friends farm to pick up a little lady goat baby.  Dinner date Friday night with Dee at Main Street Cafe, new to me but it looks amazing.  Saturday a full day to work in the garden and maybe a bike ride.  Sunday the family birthday gathering that was rescheduled due to the weather yesterday.

A photo from the week past.....A splurge but oh so worth it YUM!

The weekend.....

One word for the past two days BUSY...a good buys but busy just the same.  Friday after early morning barn chores and a quick clean up it was out the door to meet the girls for some shopping before heading to hagerstown to pick up mother in law and do yet more shopping.  UGH....!  But, the shower cake has been ordered and some supplies for it have been attained so it is all well and good.  Home in time to make the lumberjack a quick supper Friday night and we literally collapsed!  Saturday am was good.  Very relaxing waiting on him to get home from a few hours of work.  Then we set off to work on the beef barn and yard.  Finished that and all are moved and settled into their new areas and happy!  Worked on some of the garden area.  A quick clean up and a date dinner out was in the makings!  Dinner and a few errands home and settled in with some reading before calling it a night.  Another busy day tomorrow as we celebrate February birthdays here at the cottage.
Be well,
Lisa