our days

our days have been very very full lately. lots of family, cooking, playing (outside too!!), crafting, reading, did I say cooking? Oh yes, cooking, baking, making and lots of eating of course! New soups, stews, crock pot recipes and lots of desserts! It's been a yummy few weeks here for sure. And we've been given some record breaking high temps for February, which we are over the top thankful for with our thin blood and all. We feel so lucky it has given us a few days to be outside, which is right where we like to be. A little of our days lately..

:: seeing these right out our back door, oh yes, spring is coming, even in Virgnia! ::

:: watching the sunrise and deer out our back door and still feeling this frost most mornings ::

:: beautiful flowers brought home to me at lunch, just because, he's awesome ::

:: getting those hands back in the mud again which is right where they belong ::

:: taking off morning jammies to find this! (still not quite sure when or how this happened before sunrise, but funny and colorful nonetheless) ::

:: drawing up our first official sewing project, very exciting ::

:: taking baby for a spin in his new race car ::

:: girls day out, she's so fun ::

:: caught in the act of reading books to her little brothers, mama's heart melted in every way possible ::

:: mini apple butter German pancakes, compliments of James and Jesse, they were amazing! ::

:: living in the south has officially changed us forever, first batch of homemade fried chicken and biscuits::

:: mama and Jesse's morning baking hour, which we love ::

:: making homemade vanilla ice cream by hand ::

:: and eating it on top of homemade coconut cream pie, yum! ::

:: more cooking time and smiles from the head chiefs ::

:: having fun with some homemade potato stamps ::

:: and sharing a view of the heart of our space here (finally for all those asking!) This little kitchen is really the center of our house. We have a playroom on one side, front door/laundry/ stairs at another, dinning table and family room at the third side and our pastoral view and animal watching out the last. It's nothing special or visually appealing in itself, but being in the middle of all the action and where we have spent so SO many hours throughout our days in Virginia, we thought we'd share it ::