my jasmine vine

Maybe one of these days I'll post more in detail about my new room...

But for now, as the snow piles up 'round our ears,

I thought I'd share my little bit of green life that keeps

my window sill looking cheery (and smells incredible...)

My jasmine vine.

It's growing so quickly... it will need a new pot soon.

 I found this lovely little thing at Trader Joe's

last week. I've been searching for just the right plant for awhile -

and was overjoyed to finally bring one home.

(Trader Joe's is indeed a wonderful place...)

So that's my little prelude to Spring for you;

now for another weekend of being snowed-in;

and knitting. :)

a world of ice

The dogs and I ventured out this evening for a look at 

the damage caused by two days of freezing rain...

Not bad considering.

We're very thankful (and surprised) to still have power.

 Sweet old Buster and Huck...

Here's a giant Spencer among a sea of icebergs...

Keep warm everybody!

And if the weather is above 65 where you live -

I don't want to hear about it. ;)

Cuteness...

We've had more lambs this past week... 

We lost one little guy to the intense cold before we even

knew to look for him - thankfully his sibling made it though.

They're rather adorable - as you're about to see;

but that fact really isn't surprising anymore is it?

I especially can't get over this little guy's tucked ear. 

Did you know that old tree stumps are yummy to snack on?

I didn't either.

And just to clarify - personally, I still don't.
But the lambies seem to think so.

For an example of  how quickly these little guys grow up -

here's a recent photo of the lamb that was born on that 

sunny day in November not so long ago.

Check out those little horns! 

So we're enjoying these sweet little faces while they last;

and wanted to share them with all of you.

the Artisan in me

I've always been somewhat of an Artisan bread enthusiast...

The crustier, the chewier, the better - kind of perspective.

I've never had any problem with making an Artisan loaf 

from scratch - I just love bread making - but...

sometimes time is of an essence.

Actually, time is usually of an essence...

So, when a friend told me about the book

"Artisan Bread in Five minutes a Day"

it was great cause for rejoicing.

I looked it up on Amazon,

paid for it with Swagbucks;

and have been rather happy ever since.

It literally takes no effort whatsoever,

and yet the bread is turning out better than the more complicated

doughs; (that took literal days...).

I love the way it crackles when it comes out of the oven.

I don't love the way our smoke detector goes off every time I 

make it... (You yourself can see it isn't at all burnt...)

I guess it just knows good bread when it detects it.

Soup and Bread. 

Mmm.

having a bad hair day...

I guess it's just that time of year.

The time of year when a small dog starts shedding his hair.

Profusely.

And somewhere in the frustrating combination of having 

wood floors, a tiny house, and some bad static electricity,

we've had a bit of a problem on our hands.

So a few days ago, 

I decided to quit bothering with the house -

and just vacuum Spence himself.

His reaction (or lack thereof) was pretty cute.

Take note of Foxanne who's always nearby. :)

adventures in repurposing...

It's been a little quiet around here I noticed...

so I thought I would show you something that I've been up to.

In the process of emptying our old house, I came across

 this antique picnic basket.

It's rather on the large side, and takes up a lot of space,

and frankly, we just don't go on that caliber of picnics as often

as owning such a basket would suggest.

So.

It was suggested that we part ways with said picnic basket;

until I had an idea.

I happen to own a plethora of knitting needles,

(which get excessive use)

and as you might have noticed if you have some too -

they are somewhat bothersome to store at times.

Enter the picnic basket...

which happened to already boast a handy little

elastic strip across the lid - for storing picnic utensils I suppose;
(now perfect for needles)
and plenty of room for yarn and projects too.

So the basket lives on.

God's Gift

Receiving a free Great Pyrenees isn't an experience 

that many people are blessed to have;

and we were keenly aware of that when we brought our special

big polar bear of a dog "Haggai" home several years back.

We were even more aware, and painfully so, when we found

him on the side of the road this past July. 

Gifts like Haggai only come once in a lifetime.

Or do they.

Saturday, we were blessed to bring home the second

free Great Pyrenees of our sheep raising career.

I suspect he's part Lab, he's not as furry, and has a few tan places,

but that sheep dog is in him, we can see it grinning back at us.

We're calling him Barclay at the moment; (pronounced Barkley) -
I guess only time will tell how well the name sticks.
He's an adorable seven-month-old bundle of gigantic-puppy fun.

Too much fun for head-honcho Huck...

(Huck's neck-fur gave him a standing ovation...)

Upon meeting Huck, he furrowed his brow, buttoned

his goofy ears up on the very top of his head, tongue flopping freely,
and then danced on Huck's shadow - all around the driveway.
Huck was not at all amused.
On the contrary; I took it that he was pretty disgusted.

After meeting Buster and Huck,
Dad took Barclay on a tour of his new assignment.

The "Big One" stared shamelessly.

The sheep also gawked without apology,

but only after spunky young Barclay chased them around the paddock;

so I guess we can't really blame them for that.

Dad had a word with Barclay about chasing sheep;

and he's now working on conquering the urge.

Perhaps Barclay's most memorable moment of coming home,

was meeting a high-strung little terrier guy.

I guess it's true that we haven't acquired any new dogs for quite awhile,

 but Spencer's reaction was still a little startling.

(Here's Barclay risking a peek to see where the 

other-worldly yodeling was coming from.)

It took us a moment's cogitation to be certain that the evil racket 

was really, truly, coming from our sweet little teddy bear of a Spencer.

You'd be surprised how quickly the guy can go from our 

smiley, stub-wagging, Foxanne-toting, little sweetheart;

to a fierce monster, with a convincing "junk-yard-dog"

 bellow that chills 'possum hearts.

He's definitely a dog's dog.

But that was no way to greet a friend like Barclay.

We're all still in a bit of a process of helping Barclay find

his spot here with us; but we're so thrilled to have him.

And hopeful that this baby-face with the wrinkly-brow and 

button-up ears will soon grow to be as faithful a guardian as 

the dog whose place he's attempting to take.