200 years- and the wait is finally over!

for several months now, dave's ongoing project has been to get the heat installed (and running). even though we started the stove last week, we've only been heating our water with it. and in case you wanted to know- we have lots of very hot water. it's been a special treat to wash all the laundry in hot water! well, as of last night, our heat is heating! (at least in zone 1!) and take it from me- this is a very good thing!

here is the baseboards in our room- just need to run the pex down to the basement, and hook it up to the maze of pipes down there.

considering all the willing helpers dave has, it's a wonder it's taken him so long to get this done!

soldering the final joint on the copper pipe!

here it is! zone 1 all hooked up and ready to go!

after checking for leaks (there were none!) the pipes have all been filled with water, and all three boys helped to bleed the air out of the lines. this is important, because with air in the lines, the water cannot circulate through the baseboards.

and here we have the most momentous picture of all. the thermostat reading at 68 degrees! (just ignore for the moment that it's mounted to a bare stud in my hallway!) my house (at least zone 1, anyway!) is experiencing a veritable heatwave of 68 degrees! and i can honestly say, that except for that heatwave we had way back in July, the house has never been this toasty warm for the last 200 years!

tomatoes out the whazoo!

yesterday and today were spent finishing up canning our tomatoes, as well as other things. we have picked the last of the tomatoes and peppers, and are in fact beginning to close down the garden. (i don't want to risk getting any more ripe tomatoes- not sure what I'd do with them now!)

we had several bushels of red and green tomatoes, and with that we made 14 quarts of salsa, 8 quarts of red relish and 18 quarts of green tomato relish. that should be good for the year. and now the house smells funny, too. sort of a cross between cinnamon, vinegar and turmeric. a little odd, really. but anyway, it's nice to see the shelves in the basement filling up. maybe a picture of that later, too.

we've also been busy outside, finishing up the walkway, getting rid of all the extra dirt and building my new clothes line. I'm anxious to finish that tomorrow, and check that off the to do list.

and of course, we've been doing school. we've got apologia chemistry, (regular and advanced), history and BJU bible courses. and of course some math, too. what with everything that is always going on, it's a challenge to get our work done. and I've never schooled with 2 little ones before, so i definitely feel as if I'm still on my learning curve!

and just to make it a bit more interesting, tomorrow N goes in for surgery on his elbow again. no biggie, the dr. assures us, just needs to be debrided, and stitched up. but, still. he should be home by dinner. if i even have time to make it, that is!

my yard is emerging!

today we were back outside, working on the pathway from the front porch around to the lean to. (the back family entrance)we got some of the path done yesterday, and last week, but my goal today was to mostly finish the path,which we were able to do. there is still some finishing work to be done, but the main part of the work is completed!

this is how the path and my yard looks tonight, after we've finished. it was supposed to be the grand finale photo, but somehow i goofed that up. it's a big giant mud hole now, but we'll tackle that next week after it dries up a bit. and then i can start planting my perennials, too. already i have some that need to be divided! hard to believe, but it's time to start closing down the flower beds for the winter. i'm really looking forward to finishing this project. it's the first thing you see when you pull into our driveway, as well as the view from the road driving by.

the long awaited moment has finally arrived! (almost)

we've had our wood stove installed for many months now, but until today, it's just been sitting there looking sturdy and functional. dave has been feverishly and diligently working on getting all the indoor plumbing and wiring hooked up so we can begin to heat our home, as well as our water with the stove.

here we have our very first fire in the stove. dave has lined it with fire brick.

here he is in the cellar, working on all the mechanical and electrical connections. pretty boring stuff to take a picture of, but really, really important! especially if we'd like to stay warm this winter. and according to the informal poll that i took just yesterday, my family would very much like to stay warm when it's -10 degrees.

this, dear readers, is the Magic Box. it's the heat exchanger. the water from the wood stove comes in here, is magically and secretly routed around the maze of pipes in the cellar, and then sent upstairs to work its way through the hot water baseboards. and then- WahLaa! - warmth!

here is another picture of the Mystery That Is In My Cellar. i understand how it works, but it's boring and long to type out. but- we're going to be warm and toasty, and that's what it's all about!

come see the progress at our house!

we're still moving along nicely around here- less holes and dirt piles, more yard and pathways. that makes me happy! here are the most recent pictures of what we've been doing these last few weeks. (aside from copious amounts of tomatoes, beans and cantaloupes!)

the boys have coated the foundation with tar. no more water pouring into the basement. always a good thing!

dave is helping with the tractor to put the dirt back into the trenches. unfortunately, he couldn't do alot, because the back tires are for a construction site, not farm work. bummer.

ditch filled in- some by hand, some by tractor.

house wrapping the back of the addition.

D and G are pretty much done with that now.

now they are working on filling in the foundation, and also getting rid of the big pile of dirt in the yard.

this is the old well. it's covered with a large piece of metal, and a huge stone. i wanted to look inside, and this is what i saw. it's about 18 feet deep. pretty cool! we're thinking of how we can maybe build a wall for it, and have a wishing well or something, as part of the kitchen garden. still working on that one.

we've started building the walkway from the front porch, to the back porch, and joining up with the rock path we built earlier this summer around the flower gardens.

we worked on the path pretty much all day Friday, and we're almost done.

A played nicely with the trucks in the dirt. how cute!

G rebuilt the little retaining wall around the cedar tree. maybe next year we'll back fill it with dirt, and plant some shade loving plants in there.

here's the path, pretty much all done for now. i really like the way it looks. it improves the look of the house a great deal, too.

It's Official. We're Ready.

i've been so busy worrying and whining about not having enough tomatoes to can, especially for stewed, to last us through this winter, that hundreds and millions of tomatoes have managed to sneak up on me! the tomatoes that we bought at the produce auction last week were ready to can today, and so were some more of our tomatoes.

but first, before getting to them, we went to pick beans. a friend from church knew a friend who had way too much fun planting beans with his new bean planter last spring. as a result, he now has far too many beans, and is giving them to whoever wants to come pick. what a blessing! so i woke D and N up early, and we went to pick yellow beans with Lorraine. we picked about 3 bushels worth, and were done by 9:30.

we started right on snapping beans when we got home, and with the 4 of us working, it didn't take too long. we got 29 freezer bags full, with 5+ cups in each. what a tremendous blessing that some one that we don't even know shared his bountiful beans with us! i am so thankful for God's provision for my family.

then after lunch, and after the girls were down for their nap, we started on the tomatoes again. we all helped- washing tomatoes and jars, picking the tomatoes from our garden, sorting the ones ready to do today, blanching, skinning, adding salt and vinegar to the jars, preparing lids and bands, filling jars with tomatoes and then boiling water, wiping tops and screwing on lids and bands, feeding scraps to the chickens.... all that work, and we have 101 quarts of stewed tomatoes! i still have about 3 canner loads to process in the hot water bath, but hopefully i won't be up too late tonight!

so i guess it's fair to say- we're ready! i think i will be able to use the rest of my Roma tomatoes from our garden for salsa. and then after the killing frost we will make Green tomato relish. (i know, it sounds kind of gross, but trust me- the kids love it on their hot dogs. and we even add it to our macaroni salad. yum!)

and on a totally unrelated note: in case you were wondering- chickens can not be herded like sheep. how do i know this? i tried that very thing today, and it did not work! the chicken tractor needed to be moved today, and He Who Works At Lowe's All Day And Was Not Around To Help Herd Chickens told us to let out all the white meat birds, move the chicken tractor to the garden, and then shoo the chickens back in. HA! even with the 3 boys and i chasing chickens like, well, chickens with our heads cut off, and A opening the little door for us, it took almost half an hour to catch them all again. just a little lesson for future reference!

but all is well again on our little homestead, and we'll eat very well this winter. at least, as long as the menu calls for beans, tomatoes and chicken!

we're getting ready for winter

with our northern climate, i've been worried that our tomatoes would not have time to ripen before the killing frost. i'm both thankful and relived to say that we've been getting tomatoes for over a week now, and we've been able to can 42 quarts of stewed tomatoes, and counting!

here N and A have gathered our first big harvest.

last night dave and i went to the produce auction, and bought some stuff to help fill our freezers. we got 1 bushel green beans, 5 bushels of tomatoes, and 30+ dozen of sweet corn. but the deal of the day was our cantaloupe- $.10 each! (yes, the decimal is in the right place!) we are the proud owners and consumers of 45 cantaloupe. and just speaking for myself, in the last 24 hours i've eaten more cantaloupe than i have in the previous 5 years combined! but it sure is good!

our project for today was getting all those veggies (and fruit) canned or frozen. we did it all except for some of the beefsteak tomatoes, which wont' really be ready until tuesdya. here G and D are husking the corn, while N is helping me in the house with the green beans.

we have the beans cleaned, cut and blanched, and ready to bag and freeze. B seems to really like them!

here is our wagon full of cantaloupe! outside of the grocery store, i've never seen so many melons in one place before! A really likes the lopes. good thing! you can see the Roma tomatoes from our garden ripening on the porch railing. most of those will be ready on Tuesday, as well.

B really likes tomatoes! all my kids have done this very same thing at one time or another- eaten a tomato, pepper or cucumber fresh from the garden- just like an apple.

D and G have moved on to cutting the corn off the cob, while N is inside blanching, and i'm getting started on washing jars, sorting tomatoes and cutting up lopes.

N- supremo blanchero

corn is done, and now we're cutting up the tomatoes for stewed, and filling our jars. A is supervising. we did 18 quarts, and only one did not pull a seal. i did them all in wide mouth jars, as that is much easier, and less messy.

B seems to really like the lopes, too!

and courtesy of my MIL, we made spiced cantaloupe. never heard of it, but we did have alot of lopes to use! i made 14 quarts, and they all sealed! i'm not sure if we'll like them or not, but it will be interesting to try them!

all in all it was a productive day- 42 6cup bags of corn, plus enough to eat fresh for 2 meals, 7 bags of beans, 18 quarts of stewed tomatoes, and 14 quarts of spiced cantaloupe, plus enough to eat fresh until we can't stand it anymore! very satisfying , to know that we worked hard today, in order to eat well this winter!

while the cat's away, the mice will play

we were gone for 3 1/2 days while taking M to SC for college. the plan was for the boys to be home, in order to take care of the animals, in addition to getting some stuff done around here. there is always a concern on the part of a mother when leaving her (teenage) sons alone for several days, and this was no exception. we made some arrangements for them to go to dinner at the homes of several church folks, and also left a list of things for them to do. the intention was to keep them busy, so they would stay out of trouble. it worked fairly well, with only a few bumps. i thought you might like to see the list. here goes, in no particular order-

~weed whack yard

~mow lawn

~coat foundation of addition with tar stuff

~fill in cistern with dirt

~put plastic, drain tile, stones and dirt in back trench (illustration provided)

~finish house wrapping laundry room side

~move shingles into the basement

~plant 8 hosta plants by bird feeder rock

~baked oatmeal for friday breakfast

~BLT for friday lunch

~mac & cheese with hot dogs for saturday dinner

~can stewed tomatoes (they did 17 quarts)

~G bathroom chore

~N clean bathroom closet

~D put wash from washer into dryer

~N consumer math, lessons 1.1, 1.2, 1.3

~G read module 1 chemistry

~N chapter 17 civics

~G geometry-12 pages

~vacuum house, up and down

~dust house

~D change N's bandage daily

~dinner friday night with the G's

~sunday school and church

~sunday lunch at the M's

~N wash and put away dishes

~G feed chickens, ducks, rabbits, dog and cat

~move chickens every day

phew! it 's a pretty long list, isn't it? and to their credit, they did it all, and did it well! they mostly stayed out of trouble too, except for one little thing. but they are all ok, so we are thankful. thankful for God's grace, and thankful to be home together again.

houston, we have lift-off!

last thursday, M's long anticipated day finally arrived- it was time to take her to college. BJU in south carolina. which as i mentioned, is very far away. as in 700 miles far away. we were hesitant to take our car that far, so we rented a '06 dodge caravan. and it was really nice. i wanted to keep it, but dave made me give it back. we needed to take the girls with us, as B is still nursing, and we didn't have anyone for A to stay with. we were all a bit nervous about 14+ hours in the car with an infant and toddler, and our worst fears were indeed realized. there was a lot of weeping and crying, like we expected, and then A and B started, too. (just kidding!) the DVD player that we borrowed didn't really entertain A like we were hoping, so it was a long ride until she fell asleep. a very long ride. and loud.

here's the girls as we were starting out. happy faces now!

and now we have arrived many, many hours later. M is checked in, and is ready to start settling in the dorm.

here she is partially settled in, and the little girls are happy to see her.

they are even happy to help unpack! i took M to wal-mart to get some last minute stuff. including a little step ladder so she can get up on her bed!

it's not really home until your bed is made, and your quilts are on. now that the quilts are on the bed, and the pictures are on the shelf, M feels at settled in, and she's ready and eager for her classes to start, even though that won't be until Wednesday. we were so happy that dave's parents were able to drive up from Florida to visit us. more on that later.

in the weeks that led up to M's leaving for college, i've been a bit weepy every time i think about her leaving home. she's so far away! (i think i may have mentioned that already) for almost 20 years she has been a daily presence in my life, and i could not imagine our life without her. but after spending several days on campus, and getting to meet her roommates, professors and just general observations, i can honestly say that both dave and i were very peaceful about leaving her.

BJU can evoke strong reactions from people- both positive and negative. either you love it, or hate it. no middle ground, it seems. there are many rules- some seeming very trivial and legalistic. but they are very honest about what is expected, and make no apologies for what they believe is in the best interest of the students. dave and i are appreciating their high standards, and their commitment to see them carried out. i have respect for M, and all the other students, for willingly submitting to the authority of BJU. we don't need to debate whether the bible says it is wrong for a woman to wear jeans, or watch PG-13 movies, or listen to Rebbecca St. James. BJU says these thing are not going to be allowed or tolerated. they are setting a standard for behavior, holding the line, and saying NO COMPROMISE! perhaps we need more families, churches and schools willing to take such a strong stand for what they believe.

M will do just fine, and in fact will thrive, and be a better person when she graduates in 2012. she will have had a thorough education- spiritual, cultural and academic. she will be a good RN. she will be a compassionate RN. but most importantly, she will be a Godly RN.