The Woodstove

My friend Jen told me that I never put up a picture of the wood stove once it was completed. I left you with  the hole in the ceiling barely covered up. Sorry about that. I talk about it all of the time and forgot to share! Oh, I just looked it up and found that I did post a picture.

Here are a couple more just in case you wanted to see it again:

I LOVE my wood stove. I am spoiled by the heat that it puts out and the heat that it retains. It is so much better than a fireplace in that respect. The concrete slab that we built it on absorbs heat and then after the fire has gone out slowly releases it just like rocks in the sun. Of course the wood stove itself holds in heat too. I hope that one day, when we build our own place in the country, we can have a couple of these to heat the majority of the house. I do love it that much!

So far our bills have been much lower by using the wood stove for heat. We have been fortunate to get our firewood for free. But calculating the costs for firewood, we would still come out on top using the wood stove. I think it was a great investment.

What I would change: in the future we would get a front loading wood stove. Ours loads from the side which can be a pain when a fire doesn't want to light. This also makes it difficult to clean the ashes out.

As far as cooking on the wood stove, I haven't. It isn't a true stove. We do keep a pot of water on the top to keep some moisture in the air. I suppose I could cook a pot of beans or a slow, not so simmering soup. If we lost power I could definitely heat something up!

How are you staying warm this winter?

The Holidays

We did a lot of running around before, during and after the holidays! Here are some highlights of our time away and at home......

Dave and his dad while we were helping Dave's grandmother pack up to move from Macon to  Florida.

My old neighbor came for a visit at her daughters house. I spent every moment that I could with her! She is only 97 or  so now.

Our cutest 3 year old niece.

Our Tree!!!

Lleulu's idea of hiding from me.

Other than chewing on the tree, Lleulu's favorite thing to do with it  is sleep under it.

Showing Grandma how to use the iPad. She might get one!

Me and Dave with Grandma, his dad and stepmom. I love it!!

And Then There Were Four

We lost our baby chicken, Little Jerry last week. It looked like she just fell asleep. We think that she was egg bound. This is when an egg doesn't pass and can cause many complications. She didn't show any symptoms ahead of time. Poor girl. We will miss her.

The last photo I took of Little Jerry. She had gotten taller and her feathers had filled out a lot after this.

Her spots were lovely....

We decided to set her aflame. Don't judge. We didn't know if she had a disease or not and didn't want such a large bird buried after Jemima got carried off.  I really didn't want to deal with a bird being dug up. Dave prepared the fire.

We held watch until there was nothing left of her.

This is how I will remember you Little Jerry!!! I miss your funny little spiky feathers and your skittish ways!

wow....

I find myself sitting here stunned. The phone rang. No school tomorrow again. That makes four days in a row. I almost wept as I listened to the recorded message. No, not because I am sad about missing work or mad about missing the pay. But because I feel like God knew that I needed a break. "But Kara, we just had Christmas break!" you say. Yes, but it was short. Barely a week for us this year and filled with loads of running around. When school started back I left my Christmas decorations up just to cheer me at the end of the day. I have just been so tired. I felt my heart crying out to God, " I need more time, God! I don't know if I can do this. I am so tired."

I think He heard me. He didn't just still my mind and heart. He stilled the whole town with a blanket of snow and a sparkly sheet of ice. It has been SO quiet for days. My mind and body have rested. I have been warmed by the fire. I have had no desire to leave the house or feel the need to see friends. I haven't even picked up the phone to call a friend for conversation. I am content. I know that God knows me. And sometimes I have to be slowed down to be reminded of that.

I know that people are getting frustrated by being stuck at home, the natives are getting restless. Maybe we need to slow down sometimes. It is a hard thing to do voluntarily. So, when we are made to, sometimes it seems unfair. Not this go round for me. I have embraced it. Another afternoon snuggled up by the fire is coming right up! My heart is pretty full right now. And I am ok with that.

Some Snow Pictures

I thought that I would add some pictures of our snow and ice to the others out on the internet. We have missed two days of school so far. We did get about 6" of snow and then it iced over. The ice is what keeps things closed down.  I don't doubt it if we are shut down for another day as things have thawed today and then will refreeze tonight. 

Anyway, the views have been stunning....

The front yard looking across the street shortly after Dave left for work.

The backyard and chicken palace

The chickens were plenty warm.  Loved the icicles on the coop!

The hill where I used to sled. No sledding for me this day. Just a cold walk!

After much hesitation, Edith decides to venture out.

Edith, Daisy and Lydia doing a little bit of ice crunching. They were really unsure and had a hard time getting their footing on the ice.

Atta Girl tagging along behind.

My buddy by the fire, Lleulu.

I am still curled up by the fire, enjoying the views! Happy wintertime!