Juniper Berries

Miss Posy and I decided to "dress up" our dining room wreath...

A Septem~burrrr Day!

So I had to put last Sunday's chicken in the pot to make soup and stir up a batch of egg noodles.

Chilly, rainy, Autumn weather can have this effect on me......

Trying to Keep up....

These past couple of weeks have been so busy...........I feel like it's all I can do just to keep up with dishes and the laundry!!!

Poor Husband came home early from work on Tuesday with a nasty cold. He's doing much better now, but the kids seem to be catching it...... I've been trying to keep the house aired out and pillow cases and blankets washed.(~You know how it is when you have little kids sneezing all over the place. I have really been tempted to walk around in a rain jacket, rubber gloves and face mask.... )So far I haven't caught it. Hope it stays that way...

In the meantime, I find my thoughts turning quite often to the house...... Sometimes I wonder if we are crazy, and other times I am so excited I can hardly stand it! For kitchen ideas, I am seriously thinking of ordering this book. The house has a lovely big kitchen, even if it badly needs remodeling. I have a general idea of what I would like...a farm kitchen (are you surprised?) with possibly white~washed cupboards. ~I love how the lighter cupboards brighten up a kitchen and make it look so airy and clean.......And speaking of clean, I know lighter cupboards will show the dirt easier, but in a way I like that because I will be able to see where the dirt is right away, and thus keep a cleaner kitchen.(Yes, I will admit that I am a bit lazy sometimes and if I don't see the dirt, even if I suspect it to be there, I will let it go because I know I can get away with it;) I really can hardly wait to share pictures of the place with you all. Unfortunately it looks like it will be another month at the very least before we are able to close. We are all set on our end, but there is quite a bit of surveyor and deed work that needs to be done for all of the different tracts. Patience is a virtue right? In the meantime I can dream........and yet try to keep focused and practical as well. My dear husband is very handy at keeping me grounded. Whatever would I do without him?!!!!

So, here I will leave you, till next time. Remember the dishes and laundry I mentioned earlier? They are glowering at me as I type..........

We did it.....

.....We bought a house. Not just any house, but an old farm house. And not just any old farm house but an old old farm house (~the original part, which makes up about half of the structure, was built in 1858!!!!! ) It has been in the possession of one family for generations.......all the way back to when one of their grandfathers came over from Switzerland and built it on the large farm he purchased. And now the only remaining family member is the brother of the man who owned it and passed away this spring. Neither of them had any children. The brother lives in Ohio, but was there for the auction. He spent quite a bit of time with us remembering things from his boyhood, and telling us all about the house and the history of his family. It was really quite sad. The 120 acre farm was divided into three tracts. We got ten acres (they are very beautiful ~very hilly and secluded), the house ( I think about 2600 square feet), the old barn, and a big brand new shop/pole barn that was just put in two years ago. The driveway is paved and quite long, as the house sits way off the road. Out front of the house are two huge old trees that the brother told us are about as old as the house. One is a silver maple and the other a mulberry. I love big trees........

Anyways, I will try to post some pictures soon. The house is solid (don't worry, we had it inspected), but it will need some renovations. Remodeled kitchen and bathrooms, paint, and the total eradication of shag carpet.........room~fulls of it!!!!!! Don't worry, I plan to take many before and after pictures and post them here on the blog for your viewing pleasure. Now we just have to wait to close.........Oh yes, and you know the best part that I almost forgot to mention? It's only eight minutes from my folks!

Chopping Potatoes

........for another big pot of soup. We had soup yesterday, but today turned so chilly that I had to make another one. But this one is different. Great northern beans, potatoes, chicken, onions, garlic, salt, pepper....... Maybe even some fresh spinach and a dash or two of apple cider vinegar. Yes, it's another one of my experiments. I guess we'll just have to wait and see how it turns out.....

Making Jelly

Dad brought me a huge basket of grapes from his arbor, which I cooked down and strained into a beautiful rich purple juice. I had never made grape jelly before, but was determined to give it a try....




I was pleasantly surprised at how much easier it was than I had originally thought!

And filling all the jars with the beautiful liquid jelly was really satisfying........

....though the most satisfying part of all was realizing that I had made twenty little half~pints!

Now I find myself wondering what type of jelly I should try next.......or perhaps jam....... Yep, canning can be very addicting;)

Feasting on Cake

Today, for Our Lady's birthday, we made a cake. Amazing what sugar pearls and a few fresh flowers will do! Happy feast day!

Barbeque

As I husk the corn, I can smell the barbequed ribs and chicken on the grill out back. It's one of my favorite parts of summer......

Some Rain!!!!

Oh ~how we've needed it!