treasurers!!

This will be one of the FIRST projects that will go into Ed's wood working shop, once he sets it up!!! Is this a sweet little sleigh or what.. I think it would look pretty grand behind a big black horse!!!



We actually have "owned" it for sometime now, it's been tucked away in the back shed at our "old" house, and Ed dug it out this weekend and brought it "home". This little sleigh belonged to his grandparents (they lived in Canada) and his Mom could remember hitching their horse and going to town in this little sleigh.









It's in pretty rough shape right now but it's a diamond in the rough. All the "bones" of it are good, and I think it will be a great restoration project. It's all "there".. including a holder for the whip, and some of the original pin stripping can still be seen!!! It has the original set of shafts, which will probably not be safe to use, but they are there...

And the runner's look decent.

So maybe some winter day, we will pull it out and take it for a spin....definitely something to look forward to....



Our next "treasure" will be used much sooner. As you know, the design of the garage is to look like a barn attached to the house. So, we made the "false" front door and have been looking around for hinges that would go on the doors, appearing to make them look like they could open.

A friend of Ed's, Al, is quite the blacksmith, and we ran into him not too long ago and asked him if he might be able to forge us a set of hinges.

But, he had "one better" than that! He had a complete set of hinges that had come off an old barn. He thinks they were forged in the late 1700's and they were just sitting around his shop. He GAVE them to us to use on our "barn" door.

Ed cleaned them up and we'll put a coat of black paint on them to keep them protected, and then, they'll go into place. That might happen over the next couple of days, so stay tuned for an update!!!

big doings on the farm

labor day weekend... day 3

On "day 3" of Labor Day weekend there was "no labor" at the house. Ed, Nate and John had done so much with the sheet rock, and Ed has been siding the whole week before, that he decided it was time to "take some time"... good for him!! So, instead we went down to my parents house for a fun cookout and a day just to catch our breaths. I actually had woken up with a sore throat and the start of a cold, so, I was just as happy to lay low myself.









Along with good food, good friends and conversations, we were entertained with great art work on the driveway.

How many pregnant ladies can sit on the ground just weeks before delivery... Sadie has done such a good job taking care of herself, "baby Abbie" will certainly have a good start in life!!!

We were glad to be traveling "north" instead of "south".. we Mainers know that on Labor weekend, you stay OFF the turnpike !!!! There certainly were plenty of folks visiting the grand state over the weekend....

And now onto the fall season which is already looking as busy as the summer ever was.....

labor day weekend.. day two

I simply can not get over at how much was accomplished today!! Yesterday, Nate and Ed finished the "master room and bath"... and it looks just grand.... (and suddenly small)...

Today,they were right back at it. Nate gave up another day of his "three day" weekend to come and give Ed a hand. Plus, my brother in law, John (Rachel's hubby, Naomi's Dad) came for the day. Between the three guys, the work seem to go lightening quick....

Working in Sadie's room...

And in "baby Abbie's" room

and then they moved to downstairs... this will be about the last time of "see thru" walls down here

A wall in the downstairs bathroom

Baby Abbie's room..... all done except for the closet .. this is such a nice bright room with the afternoon sun!!!

And Sadie's room which will get "sun" in the morning, but still nice and bright during the afternoon....

I am so excited and pleased that with "walls" the house still has a nice open, airy, bright look. Sadie and I are talking "paint colors" already, and I can almost see "my things" in it. I can tell you all for certain, I love this house and when we are finally settled, I can't imagine one day when I won't appreciate it and feel so very blessed....

labor day weekend... day 2 con't

sooo... while the "menfolk" were hard at work in the house, the "gals" thought it would be far more fun to play with horses. When my little niece was up last time, and had her ride in Mocha's cart, she informed me that she had really come to "ride on Silver". I told her that she would just have to come back again and we would pull Silver out for a ride. Today, she wasn't on the farm more than a few moments when she "announced" that she would like to ride Silver. Nothing doing, we pulled him out.

To be totally honest, I thought the moment that she really got close to him and remembered just how big he is (compared to her) she would totally change her mind.... ya, right. She wanted to lead him out of the barn... (don't you love her outfit... she picked it out herself!!!)

Now, we don't want Naomi to get the "wrong the idea" about horse back riding... so, we did "everything right"... first thing before riding... grooming!!!! Naomi offered to brush the legs and the belly.....as far as she could reach. Then we tacked up...









And on she hopped. No fear what so ever, .. even posed and waved to her Mom taking the picture!!!!

When I asked her "where she wanted to ride".. she said "to the house, so I can show my Daddy".. and so we did... (it's hard to see, but John is standing just the other side of Silver) and Naomi is explaining her ride to him....

Big hugs to say thank you to Silver for his ride!!! As we were returning to the barn, she told me that she wanted to ride Duke next!!! I told her, she needed to grow a little more before she tried to ride Duke, and then convinced her that Mocha might be more her size... she said she "guessed so"....

and so, Mocha came out next. I think Naomi found grooming her a bit easier... at least she could reach all of Mocha's "parts"

Then she tacked up....

and hopped on for ride number two, again down to the house to show her Daddy just how well she can ride!!!

Good horses always get treats, so Naomi took Mocha out for a bite or two of grass.....

and, after that... time for chores. Can't leave a good horse in a messy stall....

"barn work is hard work!!!"

but after such a fun afternoon... it's well worth it

Naomi is still pretty certain that Duke will be her next mount.. I am amazed at how comfortable she is with the horses, actually with all the animals. I didn't get the photos, but she held the silkie chicks, walked right up to Mr. G...and just had a grand time on the farm. It was such a joy to have her here... I can just imagine what it will be like when baby Abbie arrives.....

labor day weekend.. day one

With the idea of a three day weekend, and "offers of help", Ed decided to get the sheet rock project started. So, last night we ran to buy the sheet rock and other things to begin. It was pretty late by the time we got to the store and got it loaded... yesterday was busy, first with Ken and Ed working all day on the siding, and then we had to wait for the farrier to come and do the horses, so we didn't even get on the road until well into the evening... my poor hubby, he was absolutely exhausted when we ate supper at Applebee's.... around 10:00 pm!!!! It was after midnight by the time we crawled into bed... but there was no late morning sleep around here this morning...



Because Kas and Nate arrived bright and early to begin the project.

One last picture of "see thru walls" in the upstairs!!! While Ed and Nate make a game plan.

First piece goes in place!!! Now, we do have sheet rock on the outer walls, because that was part of the "panels" that the house is made out of. What we are doing now is putting up the "inside" walls....

Kas and I made four trips to the dump while the guys were sheet rocking. There were piles of boxes left from the siding, lots of siding bits and pieces to be picked up, and just general "stuff" that needed to go away. After that, we came back to camp to make supper for a couple of hungry guys... and Ed was happy to say that the whole master bedroom, bath and closet were done today.

Tomorrow this "pile" may be "living" some place else!!!!

catching up

This is what our house looks like most evenings... and it's not just dog that collapse at the end of the day... we do as well!!! Our life here is so different in many ways (good ways) but one being is that we are outside most of the day, between just "being" on the farm, and house building and the like, we head out the door in the morning, and don't come back in until dark. It's great fun, but by the time the evening rolls around, we are all pretty tired. (and if you want to sit on the couch, you need to claim your spot early... btw.. the little red and white cocker is a visitor!!!)


Well, my garden wasn't much of a success this year. With the spring being so wet, we "lost" a number of plants, we did get a few peas, and some beans, a few tomatoes... but that's about it.. except for the sunflowers!! I did get a great "crop" of them, and they are truly beautiful. As you pull up the drive, there is a nice "sunny" row of them there to greet you. I will certainly put in a few more rows of them next year.





I am going to save a few and get the seeds from them for next year's crop, but the rest I have been cutting and sharing with friends.

Thursday evening, we were invited over to Kelli and Rick's for a cookout. It turns out that we knew some of the same friends, and they wanted to have us there all together. Kelli is a wonderful cook and she had all sorts of "goodies" for us, plus an amazing dinner. The evening went by way too fast and we had such a grand time.

There was peanut butter pie for dessert, and that.. along with a good cup of coffee was the end to a perfect day.

out buildings...

One of my "main focuses" this week has been our "out buildings", getting them stained and painted and just looking good. Sadie has been a big help with this project, so things are going really well. I have been thinking of the different farms that I have visited and why I like some better than others. And one of the deciding factors, is that my favorite farms are usually extremely neat. Buildings that are all up to date in their paint and repairs, things kept in order, items that are picked up.. and that is the way that I would like to keep our farm. Now, I must confess that painting is NOT my thing, but, it IS something I can do, so I am working my way thru it. Even if I do just a little each day, in time it will all be done, and it doesn't make the job too over whelming.


The first shed, if you will, is what we call the "electrical shed". All our power comes into the farm underground, and this shed houses all the panels, wires and the like, plus our generator. So, if we do ... no WHEN we do... end up with another ice storm, we will have power for the house. It is my goal to make the little out buildings look some what like the big barn. Which is, the light color of the building itself, white trim and red door. So far I like the look.. though I'm not sure if I will stick with that white trim or not. This little building is close to the house, and I might go more with the house color scheme.. but, we'll see, I'll give it some time and see what I decide a little later. Unlike the house, I can change this color scheme if I choose.


The second shed is actually going to be our turkey house. This little shed already has quite a history with us. Ed and I bought it at least 25 years ago, and it has been the "toy/bike" shed, the "lawn mower/yard shed" and lastly the "wood shed." Kas and Nate weren't interested in keeping it, so when we said it would make a good turkey house, they were happy to have us move it. Our friend, Jack, trucked it up to the farm on his wrecker flat bed truck. I wasn't so sure it would survive the trip, or that it would be worth trying to "save".. but it has proven to be a good idea on both accounts. As you can well see, this poor little shed needs alot of TLC.. it hasn't seen a good coat of stain/paint in many a year, but I am determined to make that right... before the turkeys move in!!!

Just getting the first coat of red on the doors made a big difference today.And like the "electric" shed, I am going with a "mini" barn color scheme. Ed will need to get a new roof on it.. and as it turns out, we have a few panels of the red metal that is on the big barn, which will cover the roof nicely. We will cut a "turkey" door into the side of it, and have the pen go out from there, and I think the birds will be quite comfortable in their new home. Hopefully, they will be in by next weekend... at least that is the game plan.

Ed and Ken are back to "fussy" work with the siding. They spent most of the day working around the garage doors, and I understand it was quite a "pain in the neck" job. They had to be sure that the lines of the siding matched between each door, and that those lined up with the front side of the building. I guess a few times, they undid and re did their work. But, by the end of the day, they had reached the top of the doors and tomorrow, the rest of the work should go much easier.

It will certainly make me appreciate the beauty of work like this. I often just look at the color of a house, and never see the clapboards... but I have a different take on that now that I have watched the process. There is a real "art" to this sort of thing, it's been fun to watch. After this, "all" that's left is the back of the house and some trim work and it's done!!!! This will certainly be a big check mark on the list of things....

Once the house is done, we can begin to pull the dirt back in around the building. Ed would like to get some of landscaping done this fall, maybe even start some grass, that would help with the winter and give the ground sometime to settle before next spring and the "wet". The landscaping will be fun and a project that I can help out with, so I am looking forward to that. We are also getting our "inside" game plan worked out....and that might be a story for the weekend blog!!!!

August is done?????

I can't believe that today is August 31 where has the summer gone... or rather, did summer even get here. Weather wise, we had the "wettest summer" on the books, so really we didn't even get summer like weather until just a couple weeks ago.... NO FAIR!!! Maybe the fall will make it up to us.. actually from now until January is my favorite time of year .

And speaking of "a year"... it was exactly one year ago tonite that our horses spent their very first night in their new home. The barn has turned out to be so wonderful, and having "worked" in it for a whole year, I can truly say, there is nothing that I would change. What felt (at the time) like endless hours of planning, thinking, checking... re-checking on the design of the barn, certainly paid off. Such a blessing....

All our "things' are home again from the fair. Both Sadie and I did quite well this year, and have all the pretty ribbons to show off.... but one thing that was quite surprising.. when Ed went to pick up the picture of "Mr.G".. the lady in charge of them, asked him if the photo was for sale. I guess someone saw it and asked if we might be interested in selling it. Ed wasn't sure what my answer would be, so he left our name with her and said if the people come back and want to talk with us about buying the photo, she could give them our name. As of today, there hasn't been any phone call, but I thought that was pretty neat....


Three weeks ago, I taught Sadie how to knit. She started with a hat for herself, and flew thru it. Then she wanted to make some booties for baby Abby.. I have a nice bootie pattern but it involves using four needles. I showed her what to do, and she whipped those out... in fact, not only "whipped" them out, but entered them in the fair and .... took a BLUE!!! Her very first pair!!!!!

Then (on four needles again) she made a hat for baby Abby.. and entered that in fair...

she got a third placement.

I don't know what she's working on at the minute, but I have a feeling there's no stopping her now. She'll have to find "help" with other things, because she will soon pass my expertise!!!

So, it's goodbye to August and onto another month, and hopfully closer to getting into the new house. I also have been really missing Moxie these past few days, she loved the fall weather and always got so "puppy like" with the cooler weather....I fear it will take a very long time before I can smile when I say her name......She would have so loved riding in the woods yesterday..... "love you Moxie girl!!!!"