Time for Northern Lights, Wool Mittens, & Tea

 November 12th, 2025 God gave us a special show filling half the dome of the sky!

Look closely in the green northern lights above to spot the Big Dipper low on the horizon!

The most color, including both green and red, was right over our trees as we looked back from down the road. Meanwhile, the lights danced wildly!

The Shepherd/King David got it right in Psalm 19:1:

"The heavens declare the glory of God,

and the sky above proclaims his handiwork."

It was chilly enough during the show that I was wearing my warm, wool mittens and drinking tea, just as when taking this picture on a later day. Yes, in November the only way to get some sunshine and fresh air up here includes plenty of wool!

Find these Nordic mittens and more of my sister's and my woolen designs at Heritage Woolen Co.

January 2025

January 2025:

January held a few noteworthy activities for our family.

I got out cross-country skiing for my first time in years, and it felt amazing! A second time at the start of February was just as satisfying. I love this new (old) way to enjoy our 8 acres and surrounding fields in the fresh, cold air!

We ate the last tomatoes from our garden on January 25th... a record for us! They had been picked in hard and green before freeze-up last fall and slowly ripened in a box and then the window-sill through winter. They were even sprouting inside!

Though not like vine-ripened, these were certainly better than from a store. And they worked great in a Fiesta Salad with home-canned corn and beans.

Speaking of canned beans, this was also a first.

I finally tried the several day process I'd been dreaming of and sprouted black beans for extra digestibility, then pressure canned them for an easy protein to add to meals. They turned out delicious!

Elsa launched two new lines in our renamed Etsy shop: Heritage Woolen Co.

Her handknit, soft, woolen bonnets are a favorite with moms and littles alike!

And her new textured mitten design comes in the prettiest earthy colors! (limited edition)

Back to foods:

Mom made our first 2 crust pie (a challenge usually avoided in gluten-free baking) in about a decade. Delicious! 

And we are eating lots of fresh sprouts... courtesy of Elsa's diligence. 

After starting 2025 with a bang... playing Dutch Blitz with cousins at midnight (a family tradition neglected for many years past), we are on a roll!

We are keeping it up by pulling out old favorites for a weekly family game night. My Rummikub memories go back to before age 12 when we sat around Grandpa and Grandma's round dining room table and learned to plan complex moves!

While Nordic colorwork mitten designs for the Etsy shop keep clicking off my needles during family audiobook evenings, I make gifts for my stash on Sundays. This amigurumi zebra is the latest to make me smile.

And the 1 minute blind contour sketch I did of it makes me laugh!

If you haven't heard of this quick sketch practice, it involves looking only at the subject (never even glancing at the paper) and drawing in a continuous line without lifting the pen. A fun challenge!

And yes... I just noticed that this sketch was done in February. So starts a new month...

~ Hannah

Gather Around Jesus

Yes, our home-grown Christmas tree is sprouting again, though less than some years. It smells lightly sweet & woodsey in here!

One Sunday I knit this snowman from my home-raised, homespun wool.

Every ornament on our tree has special meaning and memories attached!

Last time my neice visited, all the human figures in the Nativity scene gathered closely around Jesus (while the animals gathered around the campfire).

Let's do the same... all year round!

~ Hannah

December 2024

Remember how I mentioned birthday season began with Mom's a couple months ago? Well, it turned out differently than expected as the flu took over two December birthdays. But first, we gained a new one-year-old!

Hopefully the yak-down sweater I made him will last our big boy a couple of years.

He already loves books... especially if they have real paper pages, which are usually off-limits. But having his very own board books is great too!

Dad still looked and felt pretty awful from the accident, and we were all traumatized to be among any traffic as I drove the hour from home, but we were so grateful to still be all together to celebrate!

A week or two later, Dad was up to getting back to camera club, but still not able to move his body freely enough to drive, so I drove him in. Praise God, He had restored the joy of driving to me again by this time!

On the way, we stopped by to get our last belongings out of the wrecked van, and it looked even worse out of the snowy ditch. What a miracle to see Dad standing by this! The miracle of one or two seconds delay in his turn kept this hit from being full on his door.

With Dad's ongoing pain levels, this was my first year to cut down the Christmas tree on our property. 

Elsa helped me each step of the way!

While later than usual, we got it up just in time for Elsa's birthday!

The new fireplace looks great, but still requires open windows and an exhaust fan as we continue to burn off the new smell on warmer days.

I have even gotten out to knit in the warm corner of the deck a couple of sunny afternoons!

Due to that flu I mentioned earlier, our two birthday girls got to celebrate along with Jesus' birthday party this year!

Three year old hands needed new, wool mittens!

"Grandpa, you look better!" Yes, he does! Still dealing with pain and lack of stamina, but even his numb teeth are starting to feel better, thank God!

The day after Christmas was perfect for exploring on the kids' new snowshoes.

And the snow was perfect for building a snowman!

Then we warmed up by the basement wood stove with a sweet and spicy project: orange pomanders.

And there was even time to try out our old, candle-powered steam boats in the bathtub. What a hit!

Now the days are getting longer, and we look forward to a new year, knowing that our Good Shepherd will continue to lead us in His love and grace.

Happy New Year!
~ Hannah

The Autumn Push

Though we don't farm any of the miles of fields all around, late summer-autumn always meant a seasonal rush of work even in our family. Dad had to fit most of the plowing in of telephone cable after the crops came off, but before freeze-up.

And though that work was sold with the telephone company, these have been extra full weeks again!

Besides garden harvest, the post-mold-remediation house-rebuilding entered a new phase of finish-work. Dad spent days and weeks sanding and spraying paint and finish on woodwork in the shed until it got too cold. 

Then the work moved into the basement (through the window) where Mom and Elsa joined the action.

Meanwhile, Dad had prepared the new subfloor in the porch for tiling. He and I laid the tiles together, and I am still working on cleaning up in preparation for grout.

I also took two trips to town to get our Toyotas serviced - spending a couple hours in the waiting room each time (good knitting time) and running errands, which are huge wins in this healing journey - unthinkable a year or two ago!

It felt so strange to drive through town traffic and enter the grocery store I hadn't seen in probably a decade. To fight the rising stress responses of overwhelm, disorientation, and even grief over "lost" years, I chose to praise God and focus on the progress.

Then another rare event was my driving alone the hour to my sister's house for some lively family-time. The largest, multi-pronged carrot from our raised bed gardens was a hit with the littles!

Back home, I mowed lawn twice this year... a huge win.

A couple days ago Dad and I also got the roses covered for winter. First dirt, then leaves.

Mom and Elsa cleared vegetable and flower gardens.

And I picked in a basket full of bouquet-makings just in time.

This morning we woke to snow!