Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Farm Fun

We took a ride in the golf cart up the hill behind the cabin to try 
again to search for mushrooms. We didn't have any luck in the
fungi department, but we did have fun!

Side view of the cabin
 Exploring
ferns!
 This rock wall separates our land and serves as
a border...the land on the other side of the wall (not ours)
was once a farmer's field, so all the rocks that were in the
field were pushed to form a border between the properties.
The rocks are so mossy and beautiful!

 Rock, paper, scissors anyone?
Dave says this is proof that paper beats rock!

Moss + Ferns = Love
Someday we'll save up for an ATV, but for
now, we're thankful for our little golf cart!

Barn update...We're having patio put in on the bank wall
of the barn.  Dave says on a real barn, it's called an approach,
like a driveway into the barn. You can see the supports holding
the barn, called deadmen, which help to stabilize the barn, which
will be covered up with the new patio. The walls of the patio are
covered in barn stone to match the bank wall. 







Old lamp post that we'll someday restore
We thought we finally had a Purple Martin in our
Purple Martin house, but it turns out, it was a tree swallow.
The one on top is a decoy, but the one on the lower bar
is a real bird. And that blue sky is real too...such a beautiful day!

Tuesday, May 9, 2017

Weekend Update

Let there be light! Dave installed 4 lights in the beam. The
open spot will be filled with a fan.
80 degree day in April, yes please!
Our view as we fished
We're working to extend the rock wall around the entire cabin,
and as we picked up a rock, we discovered this salamander! 

Sunday, April 16, 2017

Easter 2017

This year, we celebrated Easter, Emmy's Birthday and Mimi's birthday 
in Chicago! 
A throwback t-shirt to Em's childhood favorite cartoon...
Rugrats! 
Kiera being her goofy self!
Happy 39th (again!) 
Relaxing on the couch

Easter goodies from Mimi and Papa
Our Easter Bunny made a special
delivery to Chicago
Emily's cute sign
Em curled Kiera's hair and she loved it so much
It wouldn't be a holiday if we didn't dress Hazel up and make
her pose for pictures!
The hostess with the mostest
Hosting their first holiday at their apartment


Thursday, April 6, 2017

Cabin Cabinets

The cabinets were installed at the farm.
We were a little worried that all of the dark
cabinets would make the small cabin seem
even smaller, but they are perfect! They are
custom-made Amish cabinets. Can't wait to
fill them up with all of our stuff! The beds will
be installed next week. It's been a slow process,
but it's all coming together!

Kitchen 
(opening for microwave and below it a stove)
The sink will be in the left corner and a little
breakfast bar will be extended over the refrigerator,
freezer and mini-dishwasher. Countertops will
be coming shortly!

This is the laundry room/storage area, the big tall 
cabinet conceals the hot water tank. To the right
of the cabinet will be a stackable washer and dryer.
 There are two of these cabinets flanking the sliding
glass door to the four seasons room. This one, to the
left of the door hides the electrical panel and has a little 
storage. The one to the right (no pic) will be an "entry
way closet" for coats, etc.
 This is the most beautiful piece...a free standing 
armiore in "Kiera's room" under the loft. It will
be for storage and will have a bar for hanging clothes.
The built-in bunkbeds will be opposite this piece.


Saturday, March 25, 2017

Father Daughter Dance


The annual school Father Daughter Dance...
Another fun night in the books for these two!









Thursday, March 9, 2017

Shed Hunting

 It was a beautiful day for a hike in the woods. We followed the deer paths and 
went searching for deer sheds. We're quite novice shed hunters; we only found one
small one. But we enjoyed our time together nonetheless! Kiera was a trooper 
despite having her arm in a sling. 
 Stopping for a rest half way up the hill

 Overlooking the pond as we hike down the hill
 Posing for pictures on the mossy rock




Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Kiera's First ER Visit

Kiera reached a milestone that we would rather not have met...her first visit
to the Emergency Room! Friday night, Kiera was in the basement getting ready
to give us a "gymnastics show." She was doing a back walkover and landed on
her right arm funny. We tried ice and Advil at first, but thought a trip to the ER to 
have it checked out was necessary. The doctor thought it was a fracture but 
 x-ray was inconclusive, due to swelling on the elbow. As a precaution, Kiera's arm was
 put in a splint and a sling. A follow up appointment with an orthopedic pediatric doctor
 gave us good news...a sprain rather than a fracture! She's been pretty upbeat about it
all. Her favorite part of it all? Not so much writing to do at school! Her least favorite
part? Other than the pain, not being as active as she usually is. In addition to her arm, 
she had walking pneumonia earlier this winter...we're hoping for a much healthier
2017 for Kiera!