What February Means Around Here

made some pine cone fire starters

heart pancakes for my sweethearts on V day

February Is:

A Big Birthday month for me: Dad, Mom, 

Littlest Brother, Biggest Son + more

Groundhog Day, Valentine's Day, and in the case of this year

THE BIG THAW!!

Thank Heavens, I do not know how much longer I personally

could have continued inside this house!

I am an outdoorsy kinda gal, and the ice was not enough

of a draw to get me and keep me out there! 

chicken feets in the mud

the sun returned

This weekend dug out the "pond" aka black plastic oval shaped leaf catcher/frog headquarters/decorative thingy 

(left my previous homeowners)

My ohh my is back a aching.  

Lifted and moved 30+ stones, shoveled over a

wheelbarrow of decorative rocks. 

But it is looking good!!

my car mechanic bro adds welder to his talents

Him and his friend spent the majority of the day welding the boys go-cart back together.
Woo-Hoo will they be happy when they get home!

• Ordered new bee hives ~ arriving soon!
• Pre-ordered the taters for spring planting
• Reserved pavilion for Alyssa's Wedding in late August
• Planning the veggie garden and landscaping
• Started aerobic workout "stomp down the mole hills"

Hope you are having an exciting February too!!

~ assortment of our 13 new chicks ~

Iced In * In Illinois

WARNING: BLIZZARD CONDITIONS

Well, for some of us ~ this blizzard never actually transpired.

And I believe that is probably something to be grateful for.

What we did get was a nice layer of ice, covered with 2" of sleet, 

and then around 1" of snow on top (left to blow across this icy tundra).

Soooo. . . . . some of us are iced in!! 

My husband however, is not.  He couldn't handle being stuck here another day.

My husband left no tracks, he slowly slipped down the road 

and headed to work and took Josh with him.

I do not think I could safely pull my van out of the garage, 

make the sharp turn in our driveway on ice and travel the 1/2 mile 

on our lane that is a complete layer of ice.

And the problem is ~ that the weather shows no sign of a warm up.

Will I have to wait for spring to go anywhere??

Well at least it is pretty, we have plenty of firewood, and food.

Wherever you are I hope you are warm and your belly is full!

glass grass

 basking in the glow of their red heat lamp

coop 'cicles

  

 

chicken wire

 

whisker's whiskers

my driveway's sharp turn ~ this is the icy layer BEFORE 2" of  frozen sleet!

this morning the sun broke through

beautiful layers of frozen land and light

 

DO NOT STAND under this corner of the house!

frozen corn stalks

the pine tree has turned to glass

Big Winter Storm ~ headed our way!

my lumberjack plans on keeping us warm

We are prepared for this humongous storm headed our way.

Our area to expect 1/2 - 1" ice

with up to 2 feet of snow

and then heavy winds.

Fun, Fun, Fun.

       

getting icy on the grill that we
enjoyed porterhouse steaks on last night

it is getting icy ~ how icy will it get?

 

 Realized that with my brief hiatus from blogging, I have not had a chance to introduce our newest addition.

Aubrey  ~ our granddaughter was born on 1/13/11
Isn't she precious ~

Winter Blues ~ aka PITY PARTY

My seed order is here! But the ground is snow covered!

Have a beekeeping meeting coming up ~ to help refresh and motivate me

 have yet to order the beehives (that will need assembled)!

Ready for more sunshine! Ready for springtime! (I think)

Tired of WANTING to be lazy!

And BEING lazy!

No drive, no ambition!

Is it ~ Lack of exercise?  ~  Lack of sunshine?  ~  Stress?  ~  Diet?

My first relaxing winter: I am not running around constantly,
no more out of the house job, 

no more scouts sucking my every breath,
now located in beautiful surroundings, room to roam and create. 

Yet my desire and drive is missing.

I think it might be the winter blues.

Feeling guilty for my feelings, not sure what to do to change it all up.

Think of self as a "cup half full" person.

Afraid that once spring arrives, I will have wished I did more creating!

I do not feel depressed.  Just a really long blahhh.

Have had no real desire to read my uplifting, inspiring blogs until I forced myself today.

WOW! Organizing seeds, garden planning, sewing, knitting, cooking . .

. . . . all that I am about ~ you all are sharing!

Sooo, I thought I would post a quick seed picture and "fake it" til I am ready to make it again.

Changed up the blog to feel more inspiring (not thinking it is so much)

And it has turned into a pity party.

This is like showing my sink full of dirty dishes on this blog.

But I am real, and I choose real over fake any day.

So I shall overcome this, and then be back in the swing soon.

Because I do have wonderful things to share ~ just maybe not in the happiest frame of mind to do so.

I will work on my list. 

I will work on me.

Hugs, Jill

Snow Covered Ranch

Winter

snow covered

our small town 

keeping warm 

cardinal refuge

 

Relaxing, warm, family time~

 Hope you and your family made wonderful memories this holiday season.  We did, and we are still not done.

Up until this point all of my pictures are raw and untampered with.  I am determined to figure out how to get my "altered" or "improved" pictures uploaded from picasa soon. 

Coming up next: The Colorado Ranch, Christmas Time

and those darned resolutions . . . 

Another Season

josh bundled right up and headed out into the blustery morn

  We are experiencing yet another season here in the country.  We have been here since June, and it still doesn't completely feel real to us.  
  I heard that you must experience each season first hand to really "feel" like you belong.  To know what it looks like covered in snow, or in the first fresh flush of green in the spring, and to see those deep colors of fall.  
  We know one thing.  We like it white.  And we love it here.  Can't wait to see all the seasons and see if feels completely like home then.

it's been 10 minutes in the crazy wind and i am cold, can i come in?

We (I) had a nice visit from my sister-in-law Denise.

She came over Saturday morning and we sewed and crafted Christmas gifts while the guys were gone.    Then we went to town for lunch and a quick peek in "my" local quilt fabric shop.  And back to the house for more sewing and a nice margarita.

She stayed the night, and the snow and cold blew in.

I was so busy playing that I forgot to take any pics of her (and her freshly knitted hat).

krackerz wanted out, and then didn't know what to think ~ his 1st snow
i think he was outside for all of 4 minutes

 Winter Wonderland

a few snowflakes blew into the coop
and landed on our lonely egg

whiskers checking out the snow from the safety
and warmth of momma's room

What to do on a blustery winter day?

Go bowling, of course.

When I told Blake we were going to town and going bowling, he said

"In this weather, that is what you guys thought we should do? Really?"

And of course that is just what we did.

blake the nervous he isn't perfect at this game
competitive in everything bowler

jeff the pro-bowler
gets frustrated when he get a spare
(and then takes the last pin down ~ every time!)

momma the happy to be with the family
what a fun, relaxing, enjoyable day, horrible at bowling,
who doesn't want any pro-bowler advice from the hubby,
just let her throw the ball and she is happy bowler

josh the animated, hop around, can't sit down, is it my turn yet bowler

It was a wonderful weekend here.

Enjoyed some crafting and catching up with family,

 warmth from the wood stove, 

good food & drink, 

and good memories created with my family. 

All set in our beautiful surroundings.

Life is good here, hope it is wherever you are!

Autumn turning into Winter

~ Love Birds ~ 38 years
 Their relationship has been a guide to me.
Aunt Carolyn & Uncle Dale
here's to 38 more!

the decked out coop

Jeff & Tyler

Thanksgiving 2010

Pat  & Jo Anne

fixin's

Jo Anne's fall decor

honey surprised me with flowers, cake and an operating garage door
it is wonderful ~ no frost to scrape, no wind, rain or snow to tackle
my life is good