First Snowfall

We had our first snowfall last week, which seems a bit early if you ask me!  It was only a dusting of an inch or so, but I just wasn't prepared for the white fluffy stuff quite yet.  Judging by the swarms of geese, ducks and swans that have been speeding past the house, they were caught unaware as well.

  

The kids, on the other hand, were ecstatic.  They couldn't wait to get outside to play, and breakfast was a rushed affair for once.  While Thane immediately began crafting snow balls,

 

Annabel took my "You'll only be able to make a small snowman" advice a bit too literally.

Later at the cabin, both of the kids tried their best to go sledding in the rapidly disappearing snow. 

Oh well, there's always the next storm.

Fall

Fall is the absolute best time of year, in my book.  I just adore the crisp weather, woodsmoke wafting through the air, and trees embellished in autumnal hues, brilliant against vibrant blue skies.  I love this season, and I especially enjoy the apple and pumpkin treats that accompany it.  I always feel a bit carefree and somewhat unencumbered in September and October too, which is silly when I think about all of the chores that must be hurriedly completed before the onslaught of winter.  In the country, fall means work:  hunting, harvesting, food preparation, wood stockpiling, etc.

This fall has been no different, and Jordan has been working especially hard for us.  Here's a picture of Jordan with the elusive blue grouse he shot, a bird big enough to feed the four of us an evening or two this winter:

This is Thane with his saw, pointing to one of the mammoth old growth trees that he is planning to cut for firewood (good luck, buddy!)

There are much anticipated reprieves to our toil as well.  Halloween, for instance, is a lot of fun for the kids.  Unfortunately, both of the kids were sick and missed the parade this year, so we let them do a little bit of trick-or-treating.  Annabel was Little Red Riding Hood:

 ...and Thane was the Big Bad Wolf (after he had eaten Grandma, of course):

The other fall activity that we most appreciate is sitting around a bonfire after a long day of hard work.  We roast marshmallows, devour smores and have some good quality family time. 

Happy Fall!

Great Grands

We've had a busy month here on the farm.  We had a cold spell a couple weeks ago that served to remind us that winter is coming and that we'd better get busy winterizing, splitting wood, and finishing our food preparation for the cold days ahead.

We all enjoyed a welcome reprieve when Jordan's Grandpa Dick and Grandma Sarah visited us from Texas!  Grandpa and Grandma are delightful, and the kids loved getting to know their beloved "new" great grandparents, whom they'd never met.  Not only is Grandpa a really great man, but he is a retired carpenter with lots of tools.  Thane, of course, was thrilled!

Annabel was just as taken with Grandma.  She loved Grandma, and she especially adored her cute southern accent, which Annabel has almost perfected.  We three girls even had a special tea party using some of my great grandmother's tea cups, treasures I plan to pass on to Annabel when she's older.

Unfortunately, Grandpa & Grandma had to leave for home a bit early.  It's a good thing that they left when they did, as there's lots of snow on the mountain passes already.  We love & miss them both - y'all come back now ya here!

All Aboard!

As hard as it is to believe, my baby turned three last Friday!  To celebrate, we took the boys (Thane and Gunnar), along with Annabel and both sets of grandparents on a train ride along the Pend Oreille River. 

The scenery was beautiful, especially along the river.

We even got held up by some local bandits led by the infamous Ma Cutter!

And while the great train robbery was exciting, the best part of the trip was the kettle corn that Mamma bought for us all to share.

Safely back at home, the kids enjoyed a train-themed birthday party, complete with sugary cake and loud, shrill train whistles (what WAS I thinking?!?).

Happy Birthday, little man.  We love you!

A Labor of Love

One of the quintessential symbols of country life is the quilt.  While I appreciate the artistry of every quilt I've ever seen, it is the love, time and energy poured into each that humbles me.  Being wrapped in a homemade quilt is like being enveloped in an embrace.  When I look at an old quilt, I don't see a tattered bunch of rags.  No, I only imagine the stories it could tell:  of infants swaddled against chilly weather; of family picnics on river banks; of "forts" crafted over furniture during dark winter evenings; of comfort provided during times of sickness and loss. 

I am no seamstress.  While I can do a small bit of embroidery, sewing a straight line on a sewing machine is beyond the scope of my abilities.  I do, however, desire to leave behind a quilt for each of my children.  I have ordered some quilt patterns, and I am going to attempt to hand sew a couple for my kids.  These quilts will most likely not be completed until Annabel and Thane are in college, mind you, but I'll finish them one day!

In the meantime, Jordan's mom and I collaborated on a quilt for Thane's vintage-cowboy bedroom.  (And by collaboration I mean that I picked out the fabrics and she did all of the work!)  Thane eagerly watched his "queelt's" progress, and he was beyond ecstatic the day we brought it home and placed it on his bed.  The underside of his quilt is a soft flannel, and he cuddles up under it every night with a contented smile.  Thanks Mamma!

My sister is also a sewer, and she has created many beautiful quilts, such as the one in the top photo of this post.  She made this throw to be used in our cabin, but I'm not sure my family will ever let it get moved up there - they enjoy it too much at home!  I am in awe of my sister, and not just because of the quilts she has created for us.  As many of you know, Kim has a set of 14 month old twin boys. Yet, she has spent most of the exceedingly miniscule amount of spare time that she has had in 2011 crafting one child-size quilt a month for kids in Haiti!  Twelve displaced children will sleep warm in their beds next year, wrapped in a blanket made just for them.  I can't think of a more tangible way to share love.

Arizona -or- Bust!

Last weekend we tearfully waved goodbye to Jon, Kim, Lucas and Cody, who have moved to Mesa, Arizona.  Family, friends and neighbors all gathered Sunday evening to dine together one last time and to wish them all well.  It was a bittersweet evening, brightened by the entertainment provided by the antics of all of the "cousins" (pictured below in a rare moment of immobility).

I, for one, have savored the opportunity to reconnect with Kim after living apart for the majority of our adult lives, and I know that Jordan has enjoyed hanging out with Jon.  Of course, we will all cherish the times we have been able to be with play with the boys!

While we were very sad to see them go, we are excited about their future prospects in their new home outside Phoenix.  May God bless their new life in Arizona!

Smoke Alarm

There are pros and cons to every choice we make in life, especially when it comes to deciding on a place to live.  California has earthquakes, the east coast is bashed by hurricanes, Texas has Texas-sized bugs, and the midwest is hammered with tornadoes and blizzards.  And here in the wild west?  We have wild fires - BIG ones.  As of tonight, there are 6 major fires burning in Washington State alone.  These monsters have decimated 118,379 acres thus far - that's just shy of 185 square miles!  Here in Colville, we have been fortunate enough to remain relatively unscathed by these fires.  While we have had a few minor blazes spring up nearby, all have been squelched fairly quickly.   We have, however, had to deal with poor air quality from all of that smoke.  Here's a shot of our view taken earlier this year:

 

and one from yesterday:

That haze is from a large complex of fires that are burning over 200 miles away!  If you think of it, keep our fire fighters, first responders and anyone living/working in the fire's path in your prayers.

Daddy's Boy

Thane has also grown up quite a bit over the past summer.  The biggest breakthrough was that he finally decided that moving into a big boy bed (and staying in it!!) was infinitely better than getting punished for escaping out of it over and over and over and over and over and, well, you get the picture!  The entire family is breathing one big, collective sigh of relief now that bedtime is a lot less dramatic.  

So, with that under our belts, we decided it was time to let Thane enjoy some big boy activities, like watching the fireworks.  We're not quite sure which was more entertaining - the pyrotechnic display or Thane's roars of delight. 

Like Annabel, Thane also took swimming lessons this past summer - only he got to be in the "Pollywog" class, which meant that I, too, got the privilege of being a (decidedly LARGE) pollywog.   Thane adored swimming, but his patience at having to stay close to his Mom and not dive off the deep end of the pool wore off somewhere around the second half of the first lesson.  You should have seen the look of relief on our swimming instructor's face when Thane passed and she discovered she would not be teaching him next summer!

Now that fall is here, Thane is starting another first:  hunting and fishing with Daddy.  While too young to do the actual hunting, Thane is THRILLED to be heading up the mountain or down to the lake with the other men.  He faithfully practices "bow hunting" (hey, his technic may be found wanting, but his enthusiasm knows no bounds),

and he actually helped spot one of the grouse Jordan shot on his second hunting trip of the season.

 

I used the grouse to make a nice, warm chili for dinner the following evening. For once, I didn't have to coax either one of the kids to finish their dinner.  That's what I'd call success all around!

County Fair

One of the highlights of summer around these parts is the Northeast Washington Fair held in Colville at the end of each August.  This quaint fair focuses primarily on nurturing future farmers and ranchers, as is evident by the sight of countless small children leading their favorite animals around a show ring.  There are numerous barns at the fairgrounds (cow, sheep, pig, horse, and the ever popular dog and cat barn), as well as a robust youth hall containing exhibits of crafts, food and other projects made by children under 14.  There's the inevitably unhealthy (but sinfully delicious) fair food, and lots of local entertainment sporting varying degrees of talent.  We were especially delighted to cheer on several of our friend's children this year, and we are thinking that it might be time for Annabel to show some of our sheep next summer.  

 Lastly, there is a small building devoted to adults who want to showcase their country abilities as well.  After some nudging from Jordan's mom and a few others, I entered some of my canned goods into the fair.  I'm not a particularly fastidious canner, so I was fairly certain that I would have points deducted for errors in headspace, color, cleanliness, etc.  Imagine my surprise when I discovered a blue ribbon next to each of my entries:  strawberry vanilla jam, apricot sauce and cherry marmalade.

OK, OK.  Before you get too excited, I have to confess that almost every entry in the food preservation category boasted a blue ribbon, but we'll just keep that our little secret, shall we?

School Days

We've started to realize, GULP, that our baby girl isn't quite a baby any longer.  Not only is she 4 (and a half!, as we are constantly reminded), but she is starting to do big girl things.  For instance, she started preschool yesterday, and she looks so much older with her newly shorn hair. 

While she is still enthralled with cartoons, she's also becoming a kindred spirit in her taste of movies. Our proof is her new obsession with Anne of Green Gables and White Christmas.  (The latter may have something to do with the singing sisters and their "bootiful" dresses).  I've also started reading the Little House on the Prairie books to her, and it's amazing how smoothly the morning routine runs with the promise of a chapter reading if chores are done on time.  Furthermore, she is really starting to enjoy playing with Lucas and Cody, and not just playing with their toys!

Not to worry, however, there is still plenty of that goofy girl-i-ness that we know and love.  I'm not sure that we'll ever get her out of the dress up stage ("Mirror, Mirror on the wall" anyone?),

and she is always ready for a snuggle with any of her beloved grandparents.

Either way, she remains a happy, go-lucky little girl with a ready smile, a loony laugh and an enviable zest for life.

Priceless

Swimsuits:  $20

Rubber garden hose from the local hardware store:  $35

Cold Water:  free

The look on Annabel's face the moment she realizes Thane is now old enough to exact revenge:

 PRICELESS!
 

Barns and Boats

As elsewhere in the country, Colville has experienced higher than normal temperatures for most of the summer.  It's been in the mid to high 90's for several weeks now, and we will surely welcome the cooler autumn weather.  The heat, however, has only slightly impeded our construction of the barn.  Our progress has been slow, but not for lack of help (if that's what you want to call it!)  As always, Thane prefers to be in the thick of the action.  Here he is digging for fossils, er, helping shovel rock for our concrete.

He also decided to suspend his fear of riding the tractor for this project.  Thane is all Lentz:  two minutes of riding with Pappa and he was practically driving the tractor himself!

 

By the end of the day, Thane was a big, dirty mess!  (I'd show you the rest of his filthy little body, but we aren't that kind of blog!)

Luckily, our friend Tom invited us all out for a boat ride after spending a particularly hot Sunday working on the barn.  Our first stop was a small beach on the Columbia River,

where Annabel got to practice her swimming.  She's been taking lessons in town, and it's great to see her confidence grow along with her ability. 

Later in the evening, we meandered up the Kettle River - a first for me.  The Kettle is still and serene.  We saw lots of wildlife, and the kids had the time of their lives.

We hope that you are beating the summer heat, too!