Our Vacation: A New Favorite

Over the long weekend, we visited another (new) favorite vacation spot!

The view from our window on the first morning was awfully snowy,

but the view on the next morning made up for it!

The girls got to ride Brite, Briosa, and Spirit,

and the little cowboy got to ride Cowboy.

But the best part about our new favorite vacation spot

is spending time with the grandparents who live there!

Our Vacation

The kids and I spent this last week at one of our favorite vacation spots.

It's the place where my mending gets done,

the fire in the wood-stove (almost) never goes out,

and I get to go to my favorite bookstores

all by myself,

because we're staying with my parents!

***

Now that's a vacation!

Reading Record: January

Just for fun, I'm going to show you what I've been reading.

(And in the months to come, when you wonder why I haven't posted anything on my blog lately, you'll have a pretty good idea of what's eating up my "spare" time!)

The Loft

Have I ever shown you the neat little loft we have in our bedroom?

It's small, but it's got great light from the skylight.

It was horribly dirty and dusty when we moved in, and the carpet reeked from a decade of dust and cigarette smoke, so I pulled up the carpet a few months ago and the kids helped me clean the floor and railings thoroughly.

We've been using the loft for storage, partly because it was so dirty, but mostly because the only way to get to it was through the pull-down ladder to the attic at the other end of the house.

See? There's a space for a ladder at one end,

but no ladder.

That's where my oh-so-handy husband came in. I showed him the Jefferson ladder I wanted, and he built it.

Now I can start working on transforming the loft from storage space into living space!

The Price of Beauty

The bare branches were coated first with snow, then with ice, giving that poor lonely tree a unique beauty all its own.

But that fleeting beauty came with a heavy price.

Survival Essentials: January 2012 Edition

Survival Essential #1: Coffee

We learned that it is possible to grind coffee beans with a wooden spoon. Then when the water finally boils on the wood stove, our little French Press provides us each with a decent cup (or two) of coffee.

Survival Essential #2: Food

On Wednesday, the day before the power went out, I cooked up two huge batches of beans to freeze for future use.

They warmed up nicely in a big cast iron pot on the wood stove for dinner Thursday and Friday nights. (It will be a while before we're ready to have beans again!)

We learned that pancakes cooked on the grill are especially yummy.

(So are fried eggs and pesto-encrusted salmon!)

(But not all at the same time, of course.)

Survival Essential #3: Water

Remember the hand-pump we had installed on our well this summer?

The man of the house pumped lots of water.

LOTS of water.

For washing dishes, flushing, cooking, and drinking.

Survival Essential #4: Candles

Once it got dark, we all curled up in blankets and quilts in the living room and read by candlelight.

Survival Essential #5: Laundry Tub

Sunday morning I finally gave in and did some laundry.

Some things just can't wait.

Survival Essential, Special Mention: Wood stove

The wood stove was the center of attention. It boiled water for coffee and tea, heated food, heated dish water, dried wet gloves and clothes, kept us warm, and even provided (some) light in the evenings.

I can't imagine these last few days without it.

And Then...

...the power went out.

For over 3 1/2 days.

Yeah. THAT was fun.