I had to laugh when I saw this and grab my camera of course. FG was hugging Rona but her head was behind her. 
It's been a long time coming! After getting a few opinions on what to do about my neck I have finally decided to have a procedure called a vertebroplasy. Basically the doctor will place a needle in my vertebrae and fill it will cement . I am praying this will relieve my symptoms! I am SO ready to get off this roller-coaster ride and have things back to normal again. Oh...the things we take for granted! This will be my final post before we go on a long road trip at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. I have yet to be nervous about the procedure just hopeful that all goes as planned. The kids are just plain old excited to be staying at a hotel that has not only a pool but a hot tub....lol. They too will be happy to have their Momma back....not the one that has to lay down every couple hours to relieve the pain because every medication out there seems to make her sick. 
Flower Girl was home sick all week with a fever. By Friday she was a little antsy so I taught her to sew by hand. It took her about 5 minutes and she was sewing better then I. It kept her busy for a while and she loved it. I have a few more projects lined up for her. Since I did not pay much attention to Home Ec I'd like to learn really sew again right along with her. I may ask my neighbor's sister to give us some mini lessons after I pull out my dusty old sewing machine. She has been mentoring me through crocheting. That has been an entertaining experience. I am on my second dishcloth, my first came out the shape of a triangle...lol. 
If all works out with my circumstance I have even considered homeschooling in the future. It is something I have always been interested in and FG recently asked if she could do it next year. Country Boy says he wants no part of it....lol. I am sure it would not take long before he changed his mind but maybe not. I believe it is important for the child to want to do it rather than be forced into it. I have time to reconsider but for now I am educating myself of the possibilities. A few questions for the homeschooling folks that follow my blog.... do you follow a curriculum, if so what one do you use? I am interested in a nature based curriculum, potentially one you could correspond with sending in papers to be graded and such. Any thoughts on this? Hoping to go to a conference in the next month or two before committing to this crazy endeavor.
...when you have fire?
....maple syrup
....and snow!
On one of the many snow days the kids had this winter I found them making maple candy "just like the pioneers did". They made it with both store bought syrup and maple syrup we had put up last year. I was the sampler and voted for the homemade. Homemade is ALWAYS best no matter what it is. LOVE that my kids have such great imaginations! Tapping season is just around the corner......can't wait!
Maine Man ordered broilers (Cornish Rocks) and a new flock of RI Reds. For any of you locals we may have some laying hens to sell and we will definitely have some broilers. We will keep about 25 each for ourselves. I am just waiting to hear back from one friend before I can promise out any of the layers. We will have more later in the season because Country Boy will be getting his incubator going in the next month or so. Let me know if your interested.
It has been a long winter but the end is near....at least I'd like to think so. Yesterday planting season began. Maine Man started onions.
This is the first winter since living here that our heat source was 100% wood.
It will be nice to see the kids swimming in the pool once again.
Trail out to the back forty. MM takes the kids out on the sled behind the snowmobile and this is the path he takes to gather firewood. I usually go out too but this winter I have been limited to what I can do until things get straightened around with my neck. Hoping that will be soon.
Really missing hanging clothes on the line. I have a few inside racks but they do not seem to hold a lot of laundry like this line. 
MM will be putting a wood stove in this soon. Planting will follow.
For now we will dream of what Spring brings and hurry to get inside projects complete.
So we can enjoy our days more outdoors then in.
Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.
Since I have been at a loss for words lately I will share a funny post Nita at Trapper Creek posted. It is a letter her husband found in the wall of their old farmhouse. Nita's blog is one of the first blogs I followed when I started blogging 3 years ago. She is a hardcore homesteader with many passions, I have learned SO much from her!
