Cuttin' Wood...

Today's post is about some farm work - well, a lil' farm/home work.  When we built our new house a year ago - my hubby was really interested in an outdoor wood burning stove.

 So after much thought and a lot of research - we decided to go with it - our choice was a "Hardy" stove.

 Here on the farm - we practice tree conservation - my husband actually loves trees - and his favorite subject to teach - forestry, of course.  As with any farm - we have naturally fallen trees and trees which are considered "non desirable" so this helped us make the decision to invest in this type of heating.  We also have electric heat by the way.

So Saturday afternoon we got started on another load of wood. 

 Here comes Shaun pulling the wagon...

Casen pulled the wood splitter - a wonderful modern convenience I must say - much quicker than the ole' axe.

Cutting...

Loading...

Splitting...

ME loading...I didn't know anybody took this picture...

And a couple of hours later...

A full load of wood ready to heat the house as well as save lots of $$$$

I love to see Casen in his element - he so loves the woods and outdoors just like his dad.  Some of my best memories as a child were when I went with my mom, dad and sister to cut wood.  Mom would always pack a picnic lunch and we'd play and help when we could.  Those were fun days - I hope Casen enjoys his time with us as much as we enjoyed the time with our parents.

Hope everyone is off to a great new year.  I've got some projects underway - I'll be showing ya soon!

Cathy

The "Family" tree..

...well, my friends - Christmas is here!  So I thought I'd show you where Santa Claus is gonna leave his presents this year.  I put our "family" ornament tree in the sun room this time. 

 

 

This tree is filled with ornaments that Casen has made over the years as well as the ornaments that have been passed down and collected over time.

 

 

Just to give it a bold pop of color - I used some embroidery hoops filled with some left over red fabric...

 

 

I really don't have "tree toppers" - I just always put a bunch of ribbon and stuff up there.  But I think I'm gonna be on the look out for a pretty star next year.  This tree needs a star I think.

 

 

Today, I caught my son in there - shaking presents and these were his words... ;-)

 

 

Sweet Ms. Evelyn gave me this book and I was so excited I squealed.  It's Miss Mustard Seed's new book - and I'm loving hanging out by the tree and drooling over all the beautiful pages.  But mainly, I love the spiritual and inspirational parts of the book even more than the GORGEOUS pictures.

 

 

I've also been busy wrapping a few more gifts - almost done!

 

 

 

I'd like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas.  I'm so very grateful for my family and I simply can not get the families that have been so affected by tragedy lately off my mind.  I pray for peace this Christmas - for every heart.

 

  From our family to yours...

 

 

 

God Bless and Merry Christmas

 

Our mantle...

...nothing fancy - it just kind of matches the tree in the den.

 

 

I kept up my old window frame with my natural wood wreath I bought at Home Goods...

 

 

 Of course, I used burlap ribbon, some rustic snowflakes, balls, greenery...

 

 

 ...a pretty textured ribbon..

 

 

 ...some more peacock feathers and a few shiney things...

 

 

 At night by the fireplace - it is just now getting cool enough to use it.  I'm excited about having a first snowfall in our new home - maybe this year - fingers crossed.

 

 

Rounding out this room is my "PEACE" wreath.  I love this word - I so wish we could have it everywhere - in our world and in every heart.

 

 

And lastly,  a bit of Joy to the World by the door.

 

 

The Christmas countdown is ON!  Have fun wrapping up all the final details!  Eat lots of Christmas cookies - talk to you soon!

 

 

Watching a movie by the tree...

Truthfully - I'm not a big TV watcher - unless it is HGTV of course.  But Sunday afternoon - I actually got to "kinda" watch "Did you hear about the Morgans?" on Southern Fried Flicks on CMT.  The reason I say "kinda" is because I was cooking a big supper for my family that night so I was in and out of this room between stirring and mixing and such. 

 

Anyway, I thought I'd show where we watch TV.  This is part of our family room - not a big space but a cozy one with the fireplace.  I'll share pics of that later.  And I must say it is still a work in progress.  I'm trying to settle on things to hang on the walls and eventually I think we might have a  TV cabinet/bookshelves made BUT until then - here we are.

 

The tree I have in this room is mainly decorated in greens, blues and natural elements.

 

 

I've never been a "neutral" wall color person (no offense) - so I'm really having to adjust to this wall color.  We've been here a year - and I must say - it has not grown on me yet.  Maybe when I get everything put together.

 

 

You'll find silver crosses on the tree...

 

 

Some aqua ornaments, green balls, bird nests, money plant...

 

 

...burlap ribbon, peacock feathers, silver fern leaves...

 

 

...old doilies, rattan spheres, a little glitter...

 

 

 ...just a lil' bit of this and that.

 

 

I love Christmas trees.

 

 

Merry Christmas!

 

 

A Christmas Porch...

Hi friends - I'm sure everyone is having loads of fun decorating for Christmas - hope it is turning out just as you had planned.  I wanted to share some pictures of my "previous" Christmas porch - this was two years ago at our old home.  These pictures are just to remind you not to forget your "outside" room.  We enjoyed our screened in porch a great deal - even when it was a bit chilly outside.  Needless to say - it was pretty much the main entrance of our home - so that is why I always tried a bit harder to keep it decorated.  Now, I'll have to say - my style has changed a lot in the last two years - I have a much more "simple" look now than before - but I still loved it - and it was a great way to say "Welcome to our home".

 

Here we go...

lots of aqua, red and silver...

 

..."icey" snowflakes from the Dollar Tree...

 

...a lil' tree in a box decorated with fresh greens and some "left over" ornaments...

 

...another tree tucked in a rustic sleigh...

 

...watering cans all lined up - each of these a gift from my sweet papaw...

 

 

 ...burlap tied over the benches made from an old bed - handcrafted by my other precious grandfather...  Be sure to nestle in fresh greens along with some pretty ribbon...

 

...my window basket filled with greens, ornaments, ribbon and a homemade "winter" banner...

 

...those Christmas pillows were made by my grannie Cleo many years ago - I can never seem to part with them...

 

 ...Don't forget to use old soil from your plantings this year as a base to hold fresh greenery, ribbon and pinecones...

Have fun decorating your porch - remember - it's the first and sometimes only impression someone will get of your home.  Make sure it always says "Welcome friends".

 

Merry Christmas!