Moments Like These

These days, I don't really have the time or desire to blog anymore. But, I just can't let these favorite moments slip by without a mention. Just know, that this life that I live is so rich and full of moments like these...

porch love

 a finished bathroom makeover

 lambs!!!

 Spring chicks

 a brick patio gone!!!

 sipping raw sheep's milk

 transplants day

releasing butterflies

 discovering a nest

 library love

 a little lamb photo shoot

 

 chess matches at the coffee shop

 

 Star Wars Day!

 

 a handful of ducklings

 

Sam our bottle calf

 

wildflower bouquets

 

A Glimpse of {January}

It's been a quiet and peaceful month at Little Barn Homestead. 

We are definitely in full winter mode. Chores are easier. We spend more time inside. 

.

We have definitely developed rhythms and routines. 

School in the mornings (except Thursdays and school's in the afternoon).

 

(We celebrated our 100th day of school a week and a half ago!! Yay!!)

Market and grocery shopping on Tuesday afternoons. 

Bread making on Wednesdays. 

Thursday is our Library day.

We also spend our Thursday mornings sharing Bible stories

 and teaching English to our Burmese friends.

We gave ourselves a NO Eat Out Challenge starting January 1st. So we ate at home A LOT. We lasted 26 days. It was a fun little challenge. Maybe we'll start over and see if we can go 27 days during February.

We've been reading a lot. 

Some days (ok, most days) I just want to snuggle up with a good book and a cup of tea and read.

We scored a rabbit hutch for FREE on Craigslist this month.

It needs some modifying, but we're turning it into our rabbit maternity ward.

Near the end of the month, we got more than a foot of snow.

We were even snowed in for a few days. 

Thankfully, we had good food and the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy from the library.

 

After things thawed, and during the nice weather this weekend, 

we cleaned up some BIG limbs that fell during the snow storm.

  

We, along with all the animals, were enjoying the warmth and sunshine. 

The bees were out buzzing (thankfully) and we all have a bit of Spring fever. 

We just have to keep reminding ourselves winter is not over yet. 

a frame a day 2015

The 4th year. a frame a day. I love it so. I hope you do, too.

See also

2014

2013

2012

Books I've Read in 2015

It's interesting to look back on these lists. Maybe you like looking at them, too. Here's the 2015 reading list...

1. Icy Sparks by Gwyn Rubio (for Book Club)
2. Home Grown: Adventures in Parenting off the Beaten Path, Unschooling, and Reconnecting with the Natural World by Ben Hewitt (read aloud with Bryan)
3. A Little Salty to Cut the Sweet: Southern Stories of Faith, Family, and Fifteen Pounds of Bacon by Sophie Hudson
4. For the Children's Sake: Foundations of Education for Home and School by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay
5. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (love)
6. Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder (read aloud (again) as a family)
7. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion (for Book Club)
8. Counter Culture by David Platt
9. Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee
10. Meadowland: The Private Life of an English Field by John Lewis-Stempel
11. Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv
12. For the Love by Jen Hatmaker
13. Teaching from Rest: A Homeschooler's Guide to Unshakable Peace by Sarah Mackenzie and Dr. Christopher Perrin
14. The Shepherd's Life: Modern Dispatches from an Ancient Landscape by James Rebanks
15. Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi (read aloud to the boys)
16. Poor Richard’s Almanack by Benjamin Franklin
17. Good Night, Mr. Tom by Michelle Magorian
18. Cleaving: A Story of Marriage, Meat, and Obsession by Julie Powell
19. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer (for Book Club)
20. The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks (read aloud)
21. The Nourishing Homestead: One Back-to-the-Land Family's Plan for Cultivating Soil, Skills, and Spirit by Ben Hewitt and Penny Hewitt
22. The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler (I wish that I had not read this one. I should have just put it down after the first few chapters.)
23. All-of-a-Kind Family by Sydney Taylor (read aloud)
24. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson (read aloud)
    25. The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin 
    
     *This list does not include the hundreds of picture books that I read with Seth and Silas. 
    

    
    

    See also 

    2014 Books 

     2013 Books 

{Christmas} 2015

Christmas 2015 was...

simple and special

 

filled with family

a few gifts

and our Happy Birthday, Jesus party

in the barn.

It was probably my favorite Christmas ever!

 

{Gratitude} Lately

 Lately, I've been thankful for...

sunny afternoons at the park

 billboards on the interstate that lead to a quick pit stop

 Thursday mornings

 a Nana's love

 the Boyce Christmas parade

 good coffee and chess with a six year old

a heart filled walnut

 and for friends that are more like family.

"Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, 

it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude." A.A. Milne

from the {Little Barn Kitchen}

 a peek at what I've been cooking and we've been eating/drinking...

{Main Meals} 

(local) pork roast (slow cooked in the crockpot) 

and (local) greens served over mashed (local) potatoes

 

(homegrown) grilled chicken 

This was amazing!

  

When we had our last round of chickens processed, we had 5 chickens cut up into pieces. 

(It costs more to cut the birds into pieces.) One night, it was getting late and I still needed to cook dinner. It was so nice to quickly thaw and cook some chicken breasts (instead of a whole chicken) for dinner. These are the breasts from two chickens which varied in size significantly.

  

jalepeno sheep's milk cheese grits in a (local) tomato

I did not want this meal to end.

  

(homegrown) chicken (gluten free) noodle soup with cornbread

 

I made borscht using (local) cabbage and beets, and (homegrown) tomatoes 

and I was the only one in the family that liked it. 

  

(local) pumpkin, potatoes, (local) sausage, and (local) kale soup 

with a drizzle of heavy cream

 rice, (homegrown) chicken broth, (local) swiss chard, 

green onions, (homegrown) poached egg, and sriracha

 {Sweets}

gluten free pumpkin filled pie pockets

(I used Bob's Red Mill gluten free pie pastry mix.)