Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Snow Days


I like snow days.

I get lots of help around the house.  ;)

Miles, Celene, and Hannah helped to cut, shave, weigh, package, label, and freeze 22 pounds of ham harvested from last summer's piggies. 
And lots of sampling. :) 
The hams were cured at a local meat shop and it is delicious.

Labeling packages









Weighing 1 pound measurements per package
 

Lots of snow


The sheer amount of snow that fell last night completely took me by surprise today.

Yeah, the weather forecasters had been warning us about another snowstorm, 
but they kept saying "4-6 inches", and honestly, snow warnings don't have as much effect on us at the end of February as they do in November, do they?

Another snowbound day, another day off school, and for Shawn, the first day this year completely unable to dig out and get to work 
(the snowplows didn't make it down our road until lunchtime.) 

Anyways, inches turned into feet, and the "warmer" weather gave us a fun day outside today.  :)


Even the undrifted snow was higher than the snowblower    





  
From the driveway you can only see the roof of the pig barn



She's actually standing behind a drift in the driveway :)


Tuesday, February 26, 2013

New Look


Hello friends!

I hope you enjoy the new design of my blog, "line upon line..."
Shawn and I recently decided that I should keep a photography blog strictly for my photographs, 
for the benefit of directing potential clients to an online portfolio.

This blog will continue as our personal scrapbook of our daily life, including the photographs I love to take.

The new photography blog will continue like this one did, under the name...

 www.devriendphotography.blogspot.com

We hope you enjoy, and see you soon!



Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Sweetness




Keeping Busy


The combination of heavy snows and single digit temps have kept us inside this year more than Winter usually does.  

It's been a good lesson in finding ways to keep busy in the house.

Just a few snapshots which by no means document all the activity going on lately...

;)

Very carefully helping mama cut meat for supper


Celene and I weighed and packed all of our freshly cured bacon together



Enjoying a break between snow storms on a sunny morning


Chopping sausages for dinner

Concentration

Gotta love chubby little fingers helping make pancake batter :)
 

Sledding!


This Winter's favorite activity?

Sledding! On the big hills!





  


 
 







Loved



 




Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Faith


Miles has been blessed with a good share of faith.

He prayed for months for a little brother, and now that I'm expecting a new little sugar, he's positive it's a boy. :) 
In fact, he's so sure, the rest of us will be just as surprised if the little bun was created a girl.

Two days ago, he said at the end of his evening prayer "...and God, please bring my bunny back. Amen."
And, are you ready for this? Yesterday, Celene and Sulli went to the barn to play, and guess what they found? 
Chocolate, Miles' rabbit, placidly munching on some spilled corn in one of the unused stalls.

This might not sound like an amazing story, until you realize that Chocolate escaped his pen last September and hasn't been caught since.
He's been enjoying some delicious freedom, making a cozy home under the pine trees in the yard, and emerging in the early morning and late evening hours for some grass.  
Frankly, we thought it a miracle he even survived this cold, snowy, windy winter with little food or water, and undoubted predator threats.

But here he is, in the barn, the proof that God answers even a little boy's prayer.

Miles and Chocolate early spring last year

A 4 Year Old's World


Celene's viewpoint from behind the lens this week.








Saturday, February 9, 2013

From My Living Room Window


Just a quick attempt to photograph these beautiful cardinals on a windy day at dusk...
next time we'll wait for a quieter, sunny morning and see what the results can be.











Winter Wheeling


A happy boy living the country dream...








Trackside assistance


 

Fan club



All smiles