the tiny homestead

winter woods

Lucy

Meet Lucy, the newest member of our family! We've been discussing getting a dog for some time around here. It's been four years since our girl Livia passed away and up until now I really don't think we've been quite ready to bring a new dog into our home. We knew we wanted a big dog with a gentle disposition that would be a good fit for our kids and farm animals. Lucy is a Shiloh Shepherd, you can read more about them here. She's already a sweet and docile companion and she'll surely watch over our flock of chickens (and soon to be ducks). 

thanksgiving snow

We had our first snow of the season this past Wednesday. Snow in November! We played outside, drank lots of hot cocoa, and kept cozy by the fire. A perfect way to kick off the long holiday weekend! I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving and a wonderful weekend. Cheers!

on the first of the year

Today, we found ourselves piled in the car and headed to one of our favorite spots at one of our local reservoirs. We haven't be there since we moved last year and it was if we had never missed a beat. The children ran immediately to feed the geese and seagulls and I took to the sky with my camera to capture some amazing shots of the gulls just above our heads. We also spent much of the day doing our usual - chores, more wood splitting and stacking (next year we're starting in the summer), and exploring around the house collecting pine cones and walnuts. We finished out the day having with dinner with family. A perfect start to the new year! Happy 2014!

the holidays

We've spent much of our time here at home staying warm, celebrating the solstice and Christmas with our friends and family, and enjoying our time together in doors. I hope you had a very lovely holiday and wishing everyone a very happy and healthy start to the new year!

new york

We took our first family vacation of the year at the beginning of this month. We were initially thinking of heading to Florida, but we wanted so much to take our children to New York for Christmas. So, off we went and we all had a wonderful time - just the four of us. The Empire State Building, FAO Schwartz, Macy's, Rockefellar Center, the subway, the Museum of Natural History, and so much more! 

fall, so far

 

As I write this, I am filled with anticipation for what's to come these next few months. My husband will be home for a stretch and I can finally breathe knowing that relief is only a day away. The last few months have been full of activity - winter prep in the garden, wood chopping and stacking, Halloween, and lots of the usual fall fun. The kids and I are homeschooling two to three days a week, Aida is going through some very terrible twos, and I'm trying to keep moving forward while still being present. I've had some bad (ok, very bad days), but things are starting to look up. Hope you're enjoying the season!

 

three

My baby girl turned three yesterday. Three! We celebrated with family on Sunday with cupcakes (chocolate with pink frosting as requested by the birthday girl) and presents. Then, on Monday morning, I headed down to the beach with my little ones where we celebrated Aida's birthday with ice cream, kiddie roller coasters, and cotton candy - oh my! 

My little lady is equal parts sugar and spice. Charming and sassy with a big personality. She's so outgoing and gregarious - so completely different than my sweet and painfully shy boy. I love so much watching her grow, but somtimes I wish I could hit the stop button on the clock and savor her sweet babiness just a little while longer. Happy birthday, Ladybird! Mama and daddy love you so very much!

a new toy for mama

This Mother's Day I received a swift and a ball winder from my husband and children. I wound almost 700 yards in less than five minutes. Best. Gift. Ever! As a bonus, turns out I have a ball winding pro as my assistant. Little mister is quite proud of his handy work.

I hope all of you had a lovely Mother's Day!

wool & sheep festival

Over the weekend, with two sick children in tow, we managed to make it to the Wool & Sheep Festival. I've been wanting to go since last year when I first heard about it from a sweet 4-H kid at the State Fair. We walked around, watched a few shearing and spinning demonstrations (I really want to learn how to spin), drank lemonade, and I managed (in between crying fits) to purchase a few gorgeous skeins of yarn. Not the day I had planned, but we managed to pull it off even if only for just an hour or two.