An Extra-Thankful Thanksgiving!

This is not your typical Thanksgiving photo, I know. But it sums up why our family is extra thankful this Thanksgiving!

Yesterday my parents were run into less than a mile from home. Mom was unscathed even though pens and a sturdy glasses case inside the purse at her feet were mysteriously broken during impact.

Dad came through all the ER tests and scans with no bones broken and no brain bleed or organ damage, which were huge answers to prayer! He is in a lot of pain from cuts, bruises, sprains, and deep contusions, and his face looks pretty awful. But we are so thankful to have him home and healing.

He was even able to join us in singing around the supper table last night, "Praise God from Whom all blessings flow...!"

Time to get ready for a quiet Thanksgiving supper with the 4 of us at home. (Dad is grateful that much of the meal is soft for his painful teeth and jaw!)

What are you grateful for today?!

~ Hannah

A New Wood Stove

Part of rebuilding our basement after emptying it three years ago for mold remediation was getting a new wood stove. We wanted one that did not require electricity (as did the corn stove) and which would also be more efficient than our old, worn out wood stove which now sits in the garden for hot-dog roasts.

First Dad burned off a lot of the smelly coating outdoors. Then he built temporary steps to protect the new maple stairs.

Good thing, because even with an electric stair-walking dolly and three guys, it was a challenge!

It is amazing to once again have live heat in the house!

Besides super-efficient heating, we will make good use of this spot for warming up this winter, drying laundry, and just relaxing!

Birthday Season Begins!

Mom has the first of five family birthdays before Christmas (three of which are in December), so we get to celebrate a lot these weeks!

For the first time in at least a decade, Elsa and I ate the birthday meal of lasagne as well as the same cake as the rest of the family! Still gluten free so far, but with many other ingredients we have avoided for our sensitivities and inflammation levels all these years. 

Thanks to God's gift of neuroplasticity, we are finally getting back to life with the help of brain rewiring!

Another night, another party!

How is he already five?!?

October 2024 Highlights

October 2024:

Finished apple harvest

Got on our annual drive to maple, birch, and oak country

I helped with a couple days of Dad's big wood-splitting project.

I finished canning cherry tomatoes.

Frances needs more porch or lap time as the seasons change since her buddy Gully is now gone.

Elsa and I pulled out Monopoly for the first time in decades!

August 2024 Highlight: Camping at the Lake