A collection of random but precious tidbits!

Ok, so most of the precious tidbits have one thing in common: Bear! 

He's gotten very serious about his bubble blowing skills!

He was very mesmerized by the first fire in our wood stove that he got to observe!

I gave him a phone just momentarily so he and Jason could "work" side by side on their electronics.

He enjoys conversing with our collection of stuffed animals and puppets.

Seeing him enjoying Nora's blue seat does a number on my heart.

And having a sleeping little one in a pack on my front as I do things around the house brings back oh so many memories!!

Ok, so before I run completely out of steam for scrapbooking!

I'm enjoying making our favorite cookie recipe with Tangly Woods' amaranth flour. It's time to grind some more corn flour but in the meantime this has been an excellent alternative!

Jason planted out some hazelnuts in the seed cage and we know that at least one toad is alive and well!

The second to last chicken butchering of the year is now done (with one more smaller one to go). And Jason had the brilliant idea of making ponhoss with chicken for the first time. It will, from here on out, be my favorite way to eat chicken giblets. Delicious!

I'm pretty confident Jason would have been out there butchering with a head lamp if Tala had not been out there helping him for much of the day!

The girls helped with the chicken selection the day before, which they enjoy much more than the butchering day. This giant is a breeder!

As the garden tasks lessen dramatically, both of us are getting to do some much needed housekeeping tasks. For me it has been things like helping our rapidly growing kids assess their clothing or assist them in "resetting" their bedroom space, which was no longer serving them well. For Jason it was a day of going through the seed cabinet, pulling out old stuff and tucking in the new.

In closing a short newsflash: we are REALLY hoping that 2024 will be "the year of the pavilion" at Tangly Woods. Design work is underway (that's what Jason is up to right now as I finish up this post). It's been awhile since Jason has worked on something this big and I'd almost forgotten how cute he is when his brain is working on a design. It's like I can just see the wheels turning and sometimes he has this faraway look and I just know he is working out some kink in the plan. 

To not disappoint anyone, here's two sky pictures! I'm starting to think a day of blogging without sharing any sky pictures might be akin to me going on a walk with a friend and not mentioning a single podcast I'm listening to. Unheard of!