Hard Work

Before...

...and after shoveling the deepest drifts and frozen layers from the roof.

This was my first time to work on the roof in many years. Then I hauled a bunch of wood from shed to garage and house for the wood stove in the basement. 

How amazing to be able to put in 2 hours straight of hard physical labor again, and end up feeling a "good tired" like I did in my teens and twenties!

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!

Shifting Perspective from "I Have To"

Do you find yourself slogging through your days with the "I Have To..." perspective? 

#1: The first step out is to bring awareness to the negative thought pattern. 

#2: Next, purposely replace that thought with a smile and the words "I Get To!" Even if it feels forced at first, your brain will eventually start to believe your new words.

#3: Look for little joys in each task! 

I also like to recite this verse while working:

"And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God in all that you undertake."

• Deuteronomy 12:18 

Enjoy this in a brief video format here: Perspective Shift: I Get To

Fall Birthdays and Projects

October went out with one birthday, and November came in with another!

Now we have a 4 year old who will soon have a 2 year-old sister and newborn sibling!

Meanwhile, work continues full-force around here. Our amazing finish carpenters have put in 11 days so far between the basement and porch. They did a beautiful job framing the awkward, deep doorway cut between the old and "new" basements.

Dad's choice of wood ceiling for the basement "library" is lovely!

And Dad and I put in a long, intense day to finish the porch tile with grout.

Finally, this week I learned to can pumpkin!

Both of Grandma's pressure canners are coming in handy. And it was perfect having our carpenters at work in the porch during the first time I tried the smaller canner. The wife of the husband-wife carpenter team could coach me through using the "jiggly-top" version of pressure canning between cutting boards for trim!