Finishing Up 2009 Projects

It's hard to believe that Christmas has come and gone already. We had a great day, but I didn't get many pictures taken. Here's one of Wayne preparing the turkey for our meal... We were able to share parts of the day with some special friends. Bob was a real trooper and showed up at 6 a.m. to help get the chores done so we could enjoy our traditional cinnamon rolls, Bible reading of the birth of Jesus, and then the opening of gifts without the little boys going crazy waiting for the animals to be taken care of. Tami came to our rescue with chocolate cupcakes when the traditional chocolate truffle I made turned out tasting like soap!

Matthew gave the family a new digital camera so I'm trying to learn how to use it and hope to post lots of pics in the coming year. Matthew has now regained sole possession of his digital camera which we have used more than he has!
Ian has had fun spelling words with Katelyn's new game "Bananagrams". Here he's reading spelling lists to get ideas for new words to spell.

This week I've decided to tackle projects that I really wanted to accomplish earlier in the year but didn't have time to complete between school, work, and doctor appointments.

I started the tradition of making each child a quilt every 5 years. Last June was Katelyn's 10th birthday so she was due to receive her second quilt. Somehow I only got the quilt cut out by June and it's been pushed to the side several times as I tackled other projects that were not as time consuming or more portable. I started sewing on it the week before Christmas in hopes to have it done by the 25th. I had the blocks done, but the quilt didn't get completed until today. Happy birthday, Kate, 6 months and 4 days late!!
A portable project I've been working on is a sweater vest pattern I found in a library book. I had some very nice yarn I found in a yard sale a year or so ago and thought it would be great for this project. The patterns are all inspired by Maine scenery, but I decided to switch their pattern a bit to look more like my NY scenery...
Their sheep became my alpaca (minus 1)
Wayne's getting a major project accomplished this week thanks to our oldest sons and our friend Bob. They are putting up sheet rock in the hallway. The ceiling was done today (pictures to come).

I have a couple more things on my 'to do' list this week...spinning up some dog hair yarn for a customer and rebinding 2 of Matthew's quilts...then there's the alpaca yarn my sister ordered and the alpaca socks that a local woman wants made. Oh yeah, I have THREE birthday quilts to do this year (Ian, Rachael, Nathanial) . I don't think I'll have to worry about lack of projects in 2010.

Kate's Critters

This time of year brings lots of activity and excitement. The 2 little boys are bursting with energy (I wish I could figure out how to transfuse some!) and wake up every morning yelling, "It's Christmas!"

Captain decided to take a break from all the activity...
The kids are always happy to see the two dogs getting along. The other day they took this shot of the dogs 'holding paws'. (I'm not sure if it was a staged shot or not, but it's still cute.)
Katelyn has been researching and looking for an angora rabbit doe to be "Arthur angora's wife". She thinks it'd be great to have baby angoras to harvest wool and sell to other spinners. A good friend has listened to her talk about this endeavor for months and told me that if I could find an angora doe he would buy it for her Christmas present (and mine since I'll have first chance at the wool). I've been talking with a breeder in western PA for several months and she had a pearl doe ready to find a new home. Yesterday Katelyn and I drove out and picked up the newest addition to the farm. Let me introduce you to Sophia (formerly known as Calypso) a.k.a. Sophie.
I think the move has been a bit of a shock to Sophia...She came from a very posh rabbitry, but I think she'll get used to the new digs and with some love and attention warm up to her new owner.

So now the rabbit count on the farm is 4, but that could be changing soon!

Decorating for Christmas

This weekend we pulled out the decorations and moved into the Christmas season full force. Wayne directed the kids on hanging the lights...
This is the nativity that we have set up on our organ in the dining room. The 2 little guys love to stand before it and sing "Away in the Manger". They also like to listen to the music box that is hidden in the stable that plays "Silent Night".
Speaking of "Away in the Manger"...Katelyn played this song on her violin at church on Sunday. She was very nervous, but she did a great job.

Last week Wayne and Katelyn returned from the village to tell me that I better go check on Peter. He had blood all down his neck. "Indy" had blood from his mouth and under his chin. Upon further investigation, it appears that the 2 boys had been wrestling, which turned into a fight. Indy bit Peter's ear and tore it open. This picture doesn't show the full effect of what we had on our hands, but you can see the blood stain. Thankfully, they've calmed down a bit since that incident and we haven't had to separate them.

A Few More Pics...

Before Gramma J. left on Saturday she and Ian had to get in a game of Uncle Wiggley. (Gramma should have won, but she played by 'harder rules' so Ian won the game.)
Here are the boys trying to help sand the new banister for the hallway project.Captain has decided that being near mom is the most relaxing (and safe) place to be. He knows that the spinning wheel is off limits to the little boys so as long as he sticks close to her and the wheel he won't get caught up in their antics or tripped over.

Belated Thanksgiving Pictures

We did take photos on Thanksgiving Day, but I'm just now getting them posted. It was great having everyone home and having Mom J and Dan here as well. We filled the table to overflowing. (Some day we'll find the other table leaf!) Somehow I didn't get Dan's face in the pictures--or were you ducking when I snapped the pic, Dan?

Jonathan was happy to have a Thanksgiving peanut butter sandwich. Hopefully, some day he'll expand his diet to include a regular Thanksgiving meal.

They told me that I had to add this to the post to show the person behind the camera on the other shots.

Some New Pics

Two little boys who love to pester each other...(notice Jonathan is wearing his firefighter helmet and Ian is wearing a police officer's shirt. That's what they want to be when they 'grow up')
Mom and her little ball of energy.The Jackson women on Thanksgiving Eve.
Yes, the kids continue to make Captain pose for crazy pics!

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November happenings

I haven't been taking pics, but there has been plenty going on.

A couple of weeks ago the meat chickens went to the processor...they are mighty tasty birds! I'm pretty sure the Cornish crosses will be the breed we'll get in the spring for the next crop of pastured poultry.

Last week Marc made a big decision and sold Little Creek (the Nigerian goat buck) at the small livestock auction. The selling bid was $100 so Marc was happy with his portion of the sale $. He's planning on using the money to pay for breeding his 2 does.

Mom J and Dan arrived last night for a visit. It's great having them here.

Nathanial came home from college this evening so now the whole gang is home. They've hauled the Lego bins into the family room so all the kids are building new creations. Matt and Uncle Dan have started a 'campfire' down by the river. The 2 little guys keep going from Lego building to keeping Gramma busy. It promises to be a fun week of family time.

A Crazy Week!

The past week has been one that I don't care to repeat any time soon.

Monday started with a trip to the ER with Wayne. The back pain was intense and not responding to the oral pain medications. We went to our primary care doc first, but after an injection and still no pain relief, Wayne was sent over to the ER. We saw a new (to us) PA who insisted that Wayne show him how much he could bend and twist, which is NOT something to do to someone who is in the midst of a major pain spike. He agreed that Wayne would probably benefit from some IV pain reliever, but he would not give him more than 1/2 of the dosage that is typically required to lower the pain spikes because the PA thought he shouldn't need that much. Since the ER was extremely busy (patients in the hall waiting for rooms) Wayne got the ordered dose and was discharged.

Tuesday Wayne was still in extreme pain and barely able to walk. After discussing the situation with our primary doctor, he went to the ER again. A different PA this time (Praise God!) who was familiar with Wayne's case. He ordered the pain medications and we waited. After several doses and no relief, Wayne was admitted so they could monitor him as they continued to give him heavy doses of pain medication and anti-inflammatory meds. They were concerned that he might have a serious reaction with all the medications in his system. Thankfully, there were no reactions, but it took 3 days of IV pain and anti-inflammatory meds for him to be able to walk and move without severe pain.

Tuesday night Nathanial called to tell me that he was in quarantine with a case of the flu. He assured me that he was feeling better that evening and not to worry. The next day I spoke to him and he said he thought he was a bit better. On my way to the hospital to see Wayne on Thursday I received a phone call from Nathanial. The school nurse was arranging for him to be taken to the local ER. His temp had spiked again and he had other symptoms and she wanted to make sure he wasn't dehydrated. Thankfully, he was being discharged from the ER when I arrived at 'his hospital' with the diagnosis of "flu" but not the H1N1 type. I brought him home and put him in a room to himself; filling him with chicken soup, liquids, toast, etc. He's feeling 100% better and is back on track.

Even in the midst of all the chaos, we were blessed...a meal from church friends, another church friend coming every morning to help with the kids and do tasks around the house that he knew Wayne wanted done, prayers and phone calls, gifts, and cards. Hopefully the week to come will be a little less crazy (though there are 3 doctor and 1 dentist appointments on the schedule!) and we'll be able to get back to 'normal'.

Jonathan in Action

Jonathan loves to show us 'tricks' that he's been practicing. He misses the trampoline terribly, but that doesn't stop him from practicing some of his flips and twists.

And mom just sits and shakes her head wishing she could harness some of that energy...or transfuse it! (Pic taken by Katelyn)

October Sunset

The other night we were in the dining room eating dinner when I looked out and saw the most brilliant red on the clouds. The pics don't do the color justice, but they'll give you an idea of God's handiwork.

Wayne's Finished Project

Here are the promised pics of Wayne's hooked rug project. He came up with the design after thinking about all the castles we saw while living in England. He'd like to design some more with familiar sights of our time in England.
This chair has a history in our family. When we lived in the Washington DC area I would walk through base housing with a friend for exercise. One evening we were walking and I saw this chair in the trash heaped in front of a house that was obviously being packed up to move onto the next base. I went home and told Wayne that I had spotted a neat chair that I thought we should rescue from the trash. Being the wonderful husband that he is, he followed my directions to the house and salvaged the chair. We stripped and refinished the wooden frame and added a new seat pad. It's been through several seat covers, but I think this one will hold up better than the others.

Just a blog

I thought I'd share some pictures from the last couple of weeks. Last week was VERY crazy with either a medical/dental appointment every day of the week, but mixed in were some fun times...

Matt had some church friends over last Wednesday and they made Chinese food--authentic Chinese food. One of the guys was a missionary to China and learned how to make some tasty dishes. The verdict was... "It's better than any Chinese food I've ever had!"

Wayne has been working on his rug hooking project and is almost finished with an original design...I'll share the finished project in a future blog.
My friend Tami came over the other day and asked the girls if she could braid their hair. Here's her finished handiwork.

Signs of Fall...Winter...No, Fall

The other morning we had our first 'killing frost'
A few days later we had more than frost!

Later in the day the snow melted and it looks more like fall again.
The ultimate sign of fall was the NY State Wool and Fiber Festival at Rhinebeck this weekend. Once again I had a wonderful time wandering through fiber related booths and displays. This year I had an extra special trip to Rhinebeck...Wayne was able to go with me!
We were able to park in the handicapped parking area since he has a parking permit so when he had enough he could go back and rest in the car. As he left me in the midst of all that fiber, he said, "Go buy something that you'd really like." Here's what I bought...
some beautiful roving and fiber batts to be spun into yarn (I'm planning on mixing that cranberry colored roving with the yarn I made from last year's purchase), a book about fiber festivals with patterns for sweaters, socks, and such, and some wool fabric for Wayne to use in his hooked rug projects. It was so much fun spending the day with my husband and experiencing the festival together.

Hey, he's even mentioned sheep might be nice to have on the farm! Fiber can be addictive!

Just Hangin' Around

A red-tailed hawk decided to come in for a closer look at the chickens. He left without sampling any of the poultry.Jonathan loves to climb an oak tree in the backyard that's just his size...

A View to Share

What a welcome sight after a day full of rain...

Man's (Child's or Woman's) Best Friend

Captain is so photogenic...
and always close by!

A Sad Note...

The local area suffered a great loss last week...an arsonist torched the Methodist Church which was built in the late 1800's. Sidney Center is a very depressed little hamlet about 6 miles from us. The church and the parsonage behind were two of the prettiest parts of the main street. Now the church is gone and the parsonage suffered a great deal of damage due to the heat of the flames. Thankfully, there was no loss of life, but this was another bitter blow to a depressed community.

October Saturday

It's been a busy day on the farm...so busy that I didn't take pics. Wayne took the 2 little boys to get their hair cut so the rest of us started the Saturday barn chores. On Saturday the barn is supposed to get a total clean out, but I think we missed a Saturday or two since there was plenty to attend to.

Rachael did the alpaca's barn and yard. That was a special job since Mr. Wonderful got sprayed by a skunk yesterday and their area is quite aromatic. We're very thankful he was sprayed now and not in the spring just before shearing!

The 3 goats were taken to the 'buffet bush' on the edge of our property to browse on some weeds and bushes while I cleaned out their pen. Once they got over the new environment they happily chomped down the overgrowth. Until they realized we had done them a favor, they made quite a ruckus.

The rabbits came next. Their cages got a thorough clean out and we filled the worm bed beneath the cages with soil, peat, and bunny berries. Now we just need to add the red worms and let them do their thing. Arthur gave me a nice supply of rabbit wool to spin.

Our friend came and helped move some top soil to low spots in the lawn and in the area where I want to put a lavender bed next year. I love the smell of lavender and can use it in our handcrafts.

Captain got a haircut.

I changed out my 'summer decor' to my 'autumn decor' in the kitchen and made the crescent rolls a woman had ordered a couple weeks ago.

Katelyn left a note on the porch door for Nathanial when he comes home telling him that there's been some changes since he last was home. (We've rearranged a few rooms over the week). The last item she listed was: #4. The leaves have been dropping on the lawn (HINT, HINT!) For someone who complains about raking leaves she certainly enjoys going out and making leaf piles.

So now that the barn and lawn work are done, and the pizza is baked, it's time to call it a day and enjoy a quiet evening.

School Projects

The other day Wayne was working with the boys on their school work while I worked with the '3 middles'. They started getting creative with the lock blocks they were using for math.

Matthew is taking a drawing class as one of his electives this semester. He's really enjoying it. I'm glad to see him getting grades for pictures since he spent so many years doodling on his home school assignments!

September Saturday Part 2

They are warning that there might be a frost tonight so we harvested what was left on the squash vines, pepper plants, cucumber vine, and cabbage plant. Here's a picture of the last of the veggie harvest.We also harvested the bean plants we are drying for seeds for next year. They are drying on some racks out back. As soon as they are dry we'll shell the bean pods and store the seeds for next spring's garden.

Brit was enjoying the cool sand in the sandbox while we were puttering around outside. She always keeps close by the action even if she doesn't take part in it very often these days.
Two of the goats had to smile for the camera...And the alpacas were having their Saturday afternoon siesta.