A Final Week in April

Here we are at the final week of April. Then my goodness May. I need to sit and write a goal list for this summer. I managed to get a rug drawn on linen this last week. Kessie drew out the picture while she was here. She would like to draw out a whole series for me called Sassy Chicken Goes--- This first one in the series is called Sassy Chicken Goes to the Beach.

It just makes me laugh and I like rugs that make me laugh. I might have to dye some wool for this one.
I need some colors that will be a bit brighter.

I know I have done this rug at least four times. I have sold it every time. I think I would like to make it this time for me.

I have been going back to rugs I sold. I wish I hadn't sold so many of them. I guess I have sellers remorse.
Its been a very busy month. So many changes and so many exciting things. I hope you have a wonderful week.

I have to get to house cleaning, with the rain we are having a plague of ear wigs. I have cleaned and vacuumed every day and every morning it looks like I haven't. Every thing you move outside it will be working alive with them. 

Happy Monday!

~Kim~

The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.---William Ward

Racing Through April!

 

The skies look like this pretty much this morning except there are tiny leaves on the tree.  I hope you had a lovely Easter. Ours was very nice. Ben cooked street tacos for us so it was easy for me. We had the grown up Easter egg hunt. I think everyone had fun with that. Then we played this game kind of like that old game called Telephone. Do you remember that? Only we started with a phrase and the next person had to draw the picture. Each person traded papers all around the room. By the time the paper gets back to its place of  origin, you cannot believe how everything changed from the original. I don't know when I have laughed so hard. It was a good day.

 

April is racing by isn't it? When I turned my daily calendar I couldn't believe today is already the 17th of April.
I won't make this a long post. I have all of the Monday things to get to today. I haven't talked about my fit bit experiment in awhile. I got my badge last week for 500 miles. That was a nice surprise. I am still trying to get at least 10,000 every day. I also had to come up with a balance. People are more important than my fitbit. So I have tried to let my OCD where its concerned take a back seat. Some days I can do that like yesterday. I took it off so that I could enjoy the kids. Most days though I try to get 14,000 steps. I feel better than I have in years. I have more energy and I can go longer than I used to and get more done. Which I need to be able to keep up with Ron. My goodness, he can get 25,000 steps each Saturday and Sunday.

 

We got our tomatoes and peppers planted this weekend. We hope to get the rest in this week. It feels nice to be planting seeds again.

I hope you have a lovely week.
Thank you so much for stopping by. I found out something last week. So many bloggers I used to read are now gone. I was clicking through the people I follow and I couldn't believe how many are just gone. I was shocked at that. So I am glad that you took the time to come and visit.
Happy Monday!

~Kim~

A grandmother pretends she doesn't know who you are on Halloween. Erma Bombeck

So glad I am not doing laundry like this today. I love the apron though.

He is Risen

I wish you the best of all days today.  I hope your day is wonderful. Happy Resurrection Day!

~Kim~

…But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; He has risen, just as He said! Come, see the place where He lay. Then go quickly and tell His disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him.’ See, I have told you.”… Matthew28:6

A Busy Week!

It was a very busy week! Having everyone home was a very busy time. I don't think I even thought about the computer for a week. Ron took some time off so it was nice he got to enjoy the kids and the kids enjoyed him. One day he played with them out in the yard that they were in space ships. A couple of them decided they need to be in a cryogenic sleep until they passed Jupiter.

Chicks were a big hit.

Co- pilot Peeking

Co- pilot asleep

Pilot

One of the pilots was running the ship from Grandpa's computer.

Megan took a video vlog of the birthday party if you want to watch it here at the Hollar Homestead.

Ron built a new little chicken tractor coop for my little hens. I can move this all over the yard until they are big enough to be in the big coop.

 Today is our 37th wedding anniversary. We were going to go out tonight then decided we liked being home more. We have a trip planned at the end of the month when the chicks can be left outside all night. We decided we would take  Friday and work on the garden. Which to both of us sounds like the perfect way to spend an anniversary.

I had every intention to taking more pictures. I get so busy I never do take as many as I planned. I am glad Megan was glad to get the birthday party at least.

I hope that your week is a nice one. Kessie had a tiny bit of time to draw out some new rug patterns. I hope to get to those at some point and get them ready to hook. Her drawings always make me happy.

I have missed you all.

~Kim~

“A happy marriage is the union of two good forgivers.” ~ Ruth Bell Graham

The Saga of the Tree

I just have to take pictures when the front yard is green and the trees have new leaves and the sun is shining through the branches. I am so excited that this tree will have children once again sitting and climbing and being in the tree.
Here is the picture of the tree when it was a much younger tree, with a much younger me. Our front yard was this pasture. Can you see the old barn in the back? That is where the back yard is now.
 I built a house well just a shack really under it when I was a teenager.  Our children built a tree house in it and climbed as high as they could in it.

   

When part of the grand children were just learning to climb trees. They would work and work to climb its branches. Sometimes in my imagination, the tree bends its strong limbs just a bit for the little ones to be able to climb up.  They were all so little then and some of them were not even yet born. 

Then of course there was Emilie's wedding when it was the backdrop. 

So once again this week. The tree will be apart of our family culture. I am so thankful to have something here that has so many memories attached to it. I think I could say that everyone in our family feels pretty partial to this tree.

 When Emilie said she wanted to get married under this tree, I knew I would do anything I could to make it happen.

William and Makenzie sat here one day. When I saw them, I knew in my heart, not only had William had decided that Makenzie was the one, I was dancing inside because I knew that if she sat with him in that tree it was as good as done.

We have planted many trees here since we built the house. Ron planted Japanese Maples just recently. 

The shade from the big trees will shelter the smaller trees from the harsh California sun. Can you see that old garage on the other side of the fence? Who knew that Ship-lap would become a thing. That whole garage is Ship-lap and I never noticed it until just now writing this post. That is one of the last original buildings on the place. One day I will write a post about it. Today is just about the sheltering tree in the front yard. 

Can you see how my Iris bulbs have once again multiplied. They are just going crazy out there. I just realized something about blogging, I daydream and write posts that I didn't mean to write. Sometimes they write themselves. 

I hope your day is a lovely day. I need to be about planning menus and writing a grocery list and getting all of that stuff done instead of reminiscing. My heart has been singing since I woke up, "They are gonna be here tomorrow!!" 

Thank you so much for stopping by today. 

~Kim~

For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease. Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground; yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant.

 

Quoted from The Scent of Water by Elisabeth Goudge, The verse comes from Job 14:7

No More Dreaming April is Here!

 

Don't you love April? Our March came in like a lamb and it went out like a lion. We had such wind. Today though was a beautiful day. Lots of sunshine and the nicest breezes.

This week the Tucson bunch will be coming home. I get to have the babies and the big kids here for a week. I am so excited. I feel like I have been waiting so long to see them. The baby started walking last week. I think it will be so nice to have everyone at home. C. wants a birthday party like her older sister had last year. Hot dogs and smores are on the menu. It feels like it has been so long since we last saw each other. So much has happened in a year.

 

The chicks are growing like weeds. It was such a nice day, I took them out in the sun and moved my chair and took a book and sat and watched them this afternoon. I know it sounds weird that something like watching chicks can be so good for my brain. I took them out back a lot last week and worked on my rug.
I think I got over the road block I was having. Here is a picture of it.

 

I have a Frazer wool cutter. I had decided that I was just going to give up rug hooking because my cutter was just not working and I had got to the point where I was so frustrated. I had bought new blades and it still didn't work. I can't even begin to tell you how many times Ron would take it apart and then put it back together. It would work for a day or two then the same thing would start happening.

 

To make a long story short, the other day he noticed this wire out of place on the cutter. He fixed it and now my cutter works like a dream. Every time now when I have to cut wool strips it isn't a sick feeling in my stomach. Small things that seem to make me happy.

 

This silly dog makes me happy too. I can't wait for my garden to look like this. I am so ready to start getting everything ready for the garden.

I hope you have a good week. It will be a nice week for me I think. Having the house full of little voices. Holding babies and reading books. Having my eggs collected as soon as they are laid in the nest box. Lots of laughter and having everyone home. Its a nice place to be. It fills my heart with joy and it over flows into my lap.
April is already off to a great start.

~Kim~

Dreaming of April
Praying for her to arrive in all her finery
I'm dreaming of April
Maybe she'll linger this time
Turning to smile at me
These clouds of grey march in endless procession
I'm waking every day
Dreaming of April

---Lyrics from Dreaming of April, Out of the Grey, by Christine Dente.