I'm Baaaaack!

I've decided to try this blogging thing again, did a little more research, read a whole lot of other blogs, think I'm ready to make the commitment. We'll see. :)

Time away, and many projects done, handmade Christmas was a great success, everyone seemed to like their gifts and a great time was had by all (except for the terrible snowstorm we had to drive through to get there - take my advice - just pay the guy to put on the chains!)

Our January here was the 2^nd coldest on record, a real test of our winter preparations in the house. What did we learn?

A) We can heat the house with electric heaters but it is very expensive.

B) The wood stove we were not sure of (so many things in the house were substandard) was brand new and meets the new EPA guidelines, turned out to be awesome and capable of much more than we gave it credit for.

C) We need a lot more wood.

D) We had one small length of plumbing that missed being insulated and we had to find it! (of course)

E) Double layers of clothing are comfy once you get used to it.

F) You just get used to picking up the quilt, lap robe, blanket every time you sit down. (60° is just chilly!)

G) Our stocking up worked and we never felt the need to go to town in bad weather – we were able to wait for clear roads.

H) Our diy roof repairs got almost all the leaks...sigh!

I) We totally entertained ourselves with our planned projects and enjoyed the great indoors!

We were thinking winter was a success and behind us. spring was here and ...nope! It may say spring but it definitely looks and feels like winter! But we had that warm week and now I have spring fever...actually I had spring fever, now I have a cold...but the spring fever will be back again as soon as I can breathe. Garden planning is in full swing though, we have started some seedlings, laid out plans for the ground level part of the garden and for the raised bed part. Last summer we just had a few containers as it was get the house in shape for winter time. This summer it is work on the yard time. There is a lot to do – not just getting a garden in, there are several projects for just basic landscaping to do this year. There is landscaping here that just makes for more work (that has definitely gotta go!), and some that is neither functional nor pretty and I'm thinking everything eventually ought to be one or the other!

Not to say that there are no projects left inside but they do not have the urgency of last year's "can we get the hot water running before the first freeze".  I have covered the thrifted glider rocker and glider footstool that had no cushions (pics to follow), and we recently found a hide-a-bed at Savers! Cheap - as the legs were broken – but handy hubby is working on them today and we will have a couch and extra bed. The fabric is spotless and in good shape and it's an expensive brand, but not a fabric to go with my décor (ok it's not really a décor but I like to call it that) so I am deciding whether to slipcover or reupholster type cover, I am leaning toward a hybrid, sort of, thing, I'm thinking on it!

One thing I got to the giving stage for Christmas was the recipe book from the grandmas and favorites from the family so they are all on my computer so should be able to share more of them easier now.

Will close this first post back with a story and two pictures. The first picture is a Ziploc baggie of seeds, they are 'wonderberry' seeds (nightshade family, historic heirloom seeds, Volga German family thing) saved, cleaned and given to me by my Grandma, my dads mom, in 1989. She passed away in 1994. I have saved, lost, found, stored and found these silly things again and again over the past 24 years. Kept them in a special place when I found them as we were packing to move, grandma wrote a special note and stuck it inside, otherwise I might have thrown them away – they are so old now!

This second picture is the wonderberry seedlings! I planted them just to see if they would grow and there they are! They come back every year, so my garden will have children of Grandmas wonderberries in it, how cool is that?! My Garden is off to an awesome start!