It's been a busy few weeks!

Let's see...what's new around here? 

We think we've decided on a house style, which is pretty exciting! Our current thought is to do a high-posted cape, which is quite similar in style to the old farmhouse I grew up in, except that the upstairs knee-wall (that's the part of the wall that is vertical, not slanted because of the roof!) will be somewhere around 5.5', instead of the much smaller (maybe 3'?) height I remember! The 5.5' height will give the bedrooms a bit more openness, but a portion of the ceiling will still be slanted, which I find very cozy. 

Last weekend, David's cousin and her college roommate came to visit us - we had a great time with them - and we're very much looking forward to having a guest room available in the near-ish future. Our current home is just right for the two of us, and it sure gets cozy when we have guests! 

We went out and visited with the cows with Robin and Olivia last weekend - another thing we'll miss about life on the farm! 

David had a good chat with 6Y! 

Last Monday, David went out to our land, and worked on cutting back some brambles that are constantly snagging on us when we go wandering through the woods. And today, over coffee and tea, we discussed putting in a small garden this summer - I'm envisioning some pumpkins and squash, maybe some spinach and kale, onions, garlic, and parsnips. Yum! 

That's all the news we have for now! 

There are pictures!

Hurray! The card reader came in the mail today. We also met with a prospective builder this morning, which really helped us understand more about how this process could look for us. I am always quick to dream, and very happy to spend time thinking about the minutia - a deep bathtub with a window looking out into the trees is my current dream - but there are a lot of other important details that go into building a house, and they all lead to the home we'll end up with.

Now, on to the pictures!

David heading through the trees to the house site.

A little volunteer, covered in snow. 

Next winter, this little guy won't have a home here....

Here's the little knoll into which we hope to build! 

This one falls under 'New camera, Marilla was playing' 

Also, I'm kind of excited that I can focus on what is in the foreground of an image, while the background becomes fuzzy, but not undefined.   

 Dave: That Truffula Tree will have to go.

Marilla: Which Truffula Tree?

Dave: That scrubby conifer there - see, it's a Truffula Tree! 

We've also spotted a trio of maples and a couple of conifers that will probably need to be removed for the sake of the view. 

They're lovely trees, they just happen to be blocking the view of the hills opposite us. 

Spotted some evidence of some little furry animals out for an afternoon adventure, as well.

Here's the awesome stump! 

This is the bit of land we've dubbed The Point, where we envision Adirondack chairs, and I'm wondering if there might be a way to turn the stump into more of a little table. I'm envisioning a good book, iced tea, and a shady sun dappled spot to read. (This is what I mean about being quick to dream...) 

 Wandering on the hillside. 

 More woods, and David, both of us still in awe that we own trees. 

These trees, to be specific. 

Heading back around, via the class four portion of our road. (It's maintained up to where our driveway will be, and then it becomes class four.) 

Winter is here!

This afternoon started with the sort of snow that makes me feel like I'm inside of a snow-globe. Big, fluffy flakes interspersed with tiny ones, floating down slowly, made me extra grateful for the big window in our current living room. I made us fancy weekend afternoon coffee, an unusual happening around these parts, and David got some work done while I colored. (Adult coloring. It's a thing. That link will bring you to the gallery of my favorite coloring book artist; go ahead, check it out.)

It was a cozy and productive afternoon at home, and by 3 o'clock I had hit the point where I was considering changing into my jammie pants for the rest of the day. Luckily, I had the sense to ask David if he thought that was a good plan, or if we should go tromp around in our woods for a bit....you see where this is going, I'm sure. 

I grabbed our new camera, (Thanks, Dad!) and we headed out to the woods. Once there, dreaming took on a whole new depth - it's one thing to contemplate the idea of planting our own garden, and another to find a good place to put the garden. Eventually, we think we'll create a path from the garden that leads out to a spot that we've dubbed 'The Point,' where we foresee Adirondack chairs, and maybe even turning an existing half-stump into a pseudo-table. 

This is the part where I put in a picture of that cool half stump, some animal tracks in the snow, pictures of trees we want to cut down, and other neat things we discovered, only guess what? I don't have the requisite technology to transfer images from the camera to the computer....that's going to have to wait until sometime this week, when the technology arrives. 

So, here's the only picture I took on my phone this afternoon.