The inside......

The basement stairs

The dining room

Looking from the living room into the entry and dining room

The living room....notice all the windows in the house. I love all the light coming in.

The guys are coming to insulate the walls and ceilings inside of the house, tomorrow. Chuck wanted me to take pictures of all the studs and where the plumbing was so he'll have it for reference down the road. None of the brick you see in the fireplace will show, except for the actual fire box area. The dry wall will cover up the rest of the brick and then our antique wooden mantel will sit on a tile hearth. Won't it be nice this winter to sit next to the fire and watch tv or read. Will be a BIG difference from what we went through last winter.!!!! It seems so far ago...but yet not.( they just started our house two months ago) They started on the stairs to the basement today also. Another reason I love living " up north". I loved my Auntie Barbara's basement, in Illinois. It was like a secret place, under ground that I could play in. One summer, she put a bed down there so I could sleep there. It was so nice and cool . I hope Genavive will remember Papa and Oona's basement as some place neat.

The bowling alley

This week, they put the front porch's, floor, ceiling and siding on....plus the front door. Chuck calls the front porch our bowling alley. He said when Shell gets married, she can get married up here and walk down the front porch as her aisle. ...lol. It's lonnnnng enough! I can't wait to put our rocking chairs, double rocker, table and chairs and porch swing on it. I have a feeling this porch will be used a LOT! We will have the same kind of view that we have sitting on the porch of the TT....pretty woods. Well, they will be pretty, once we clean them up. We will have the same birds and lighting bugs to entertain us. It's going to be sooo nice. I can't wait!

It's NOT Sipsey

I went down to let the girls out in their yard, this morning and when I went in to open their window in the house, I noticed Caroline laying in one of the nesting boxes. I went and grabbed the camera that I had happened to take down with me and went back into the house. I stood there for a few minutes watching her and sure enough....she stood up and there was an egg under her. A few minutes later, she jumped out of the box and went outside. It was weird picking up a little warm egg. Now I know who is laying the eggs....or maybe not....maybe all of them are taking a turn of it. At least I know it's not the white ones, laying...their eggs are suppose to be white. We'll see.

The Pumpkin Patch

There are around 8 pumpkins in the patch right now. They just turned " orange" a week or so ago. I am hoping they will grow a lot bigger....I suppose they will since we have three more months before Halloween. That is, if they don't rot or an animal decides to eat them. I think they are my favorite out of everything we grew in the gardens. We also have a lot of gourds growing. ....... from little decorative ones, to big ones to use as birdhouses. I can't believe how this summer has flown by and all the fun we had with the gardens. I'm getting ready to pull everything up ( not the pumpkins and gourds) and till so I can plant a small winter garden. I hope it's as much fun as the summer one was.

Little bit...Reba

Reba is still living in the woods around the barn and " the girls, mansion". I see her every morning when I go down to let everyone outside. I sure hope she can take care of herself until she grows up and then we will try and trap her so she can live in the house and yard.
I am happy to report, there was another " egg" yesterday and I found it in one of the nesting boxes. I still think it's " Sipsey" laying them since she is the biggest. It won't be long, before the rest of the girls will be laying. That's when I will have to come up with lots of egg recipes. I always keep at least a 1/2 dozen hard boiled eggs in the refrigerator. Guess I'll have to up it to a dozen here pretty soon. I will make devil eggs more often and all of my pretty " egg plates" will get good use. It's so much fun to walk into the mansion and find an egg. It's like having Easter, every couple of days. :-)

Reba the free range chicken

On the way home from the airport the other day, we stopped at the Mennonite Bakery in Falkville to get some spices. (They are really cheap there.) They had a sign on the door saying ...FOR SALE...chicks $1 and eggs. I asked if they had any grown chickens and if any of them were the black/white zebra ones. The guy told me to come out back to look at all their chickens and they have LOTS, to see if there was any I wanted. All of their chickens are " free range"....running every where. They had this big beautiful zebra rooster but I told him I didn't want a rooster. Then, he had a couple little zebras and one mid size. I asked for the mid size one, knowing that it had to be almost the size of " the girls" or they would peck it to death. He ran around and caught one of them.....which turned out to be one of the littler ones. He put it in a box and charged us a whole $7. She didn't make a sound all the way home. Chuck took her out of the box and put her in the yard. She hated it and all of the girls started chasing her. She kept trying to get out through the wire and several times, almost did. I kept telling Chuck she was going to get out. Sure enough....a few minutes later, Chuck found me and said...." you now have a free range chicken". I just knew she wouldn't make it through the night being out with all the wild animals but the next morning, she was running around the barn. We put food and water outside the girls yard for her and she is living in the woods next to the barn. I am hoping she makes it until she gets as big as the others and we will try and catch her and put her in the mansion. By the way....I named her " Reba " (zebra), after my grandmother. I will try and get a picture of her but she takes off running into the woods when she sees me.

Redecorated the mansion

Since " the girls" have started laying eggs....well, at least one of them has.....we decided we had better make them some nesting boxes. So Chuck gathered up some of the scraps from the workers building the house and built a nice set of four boxes, which sits on a stand, under the window. I filled each one with the hay that I had collected from the BNOE field. We had to redecorate the inside of the house to make every thing fit. Chuck had to put their food bowl in the corner behind the door so we could move the roosting rack down. So far, they haven't gotten in the nesting boxes too much....and no new egg since I've been home. They like sitting on top of the boxes to look out the window.

So much done!

Front of the house

Fireplace brick is doneBack of the house

I can't believe how much they got done on the house while I was gone for four days. The AC guy came, the plumber, the electrician and they have all the windows ( but the bathroom) and some of the doors in. Plus, they have started to put the siding on. Yep...it's yellow...but it came that way. The painter will paint it the yellow that I have picked out. It won't be as dark as it is now. They finished the fireplace and put the caps on the retaining walls. If they keep up with all the work, we should be in the house in two more months....or less. I'm getting really excited about it now. Wonder what another week will accomplish!

Florida...eight months later.....

Birmingham airport....headed to Florida after a fun ten days.

Christina, Shell and George

Oona holding Lily Ryann

The Petersons: Shell, Genavive, Taylor, Hannah, Lily Ryann, Ryan, Nicole and Me.


Cathie and Joyce came to dinner!

I planned the dates for Shell to bring Genavive up and then I would take her home, so it would work out that I was in Florida for July 19, the anniversary of Marina's death. I wanted to be with George and Christina for that day. I felt like Christina needed me as much as I needed her. She is a big part of my life and I surely feel like she is family. Shell and I had one of the best days we have had in a long time, just relaxing ( in the pool) and talking our heads off all day. Christina told us her " life story" and a story it is....being in the war in Germany, losing her Mother and Grandmother for over a year, being drafted into the army and how awful things were during the " air lift". You sure learn more "history" by having someone tell you what they experienced, than reading a history book. My mom used to tell me stories that she went through during the war, while my Dad was over in Germany, fighting and to hear the " other side of the story"....it gives you something to think about. Growing up, Marina and I never realized that our fathers fought against each other and if they would have come across each other, one of them would have probably been killed. A scary thought. I had heard these stories from Christina, when I was growing up but I am so glad that Shell got to hear them all from Oma.

I was only in Florida for four days....not enough time to see everyone that I had wanted but I did fill every minute that I was there. The most important person I wanted to see was little " Lily Ryann", my five month old grand daughter. Nicole and Ryan have been sending us lots of pictures of her but I couldn't wait to hold her in my arms. What a sweetie. It was fun seeing the other girls....wow have they grown! They were cute...they put on a concert for us after dinner. It felt good to be able to hug Ryan after all this time too.

I spent two nights with Christina and George, one night with my good friend Sandy and the last night with Elaine. It just happened that I was there for my birthday, since Marina died three days before it. Elaine picked me up Thurs morning and we shopped before we went out to lunch. Then, we headed to her house to get ready for a big "family dinner". Shell had also invited two really dear friends of mine, Joyce and Cathie. I'm so glad they came to Elaine's. Everyone gave me such nice presents. So many of them, that I had to use one of Elaine's duffel bags , to get them home. When it came time for everyone to leave that night, Genavive wasn't handling leaving Oona very well. There were lots of tears so Auntie Elaine whispered in her ear...."would you like to spend the night with Oona and we will take you home in the morning?"....and of course the answer was " YES". So, we had one more night together. Thank you Auntie Elaine! There were tears the next morning too, but we worked through them. We will be planning the " next time" Genavive gets to come up to see Oona, Papa, Annabelle, Marmie and " the girls". Elaine and Erin dropped me off at the airport and I couldn't wait to get home. Southwest Airlines must have known how badly because we were 20 minutes early landing in Birmingham! Thank you Southwest. There is nothing like " Sweet Home Alabama".

" THE EGG"!

Saturday evening, we went down to the put the chickens to bed before leaving on our field trip to see the 9,000 chickens. Genavive was helping Papa do something in the barn, while I tended to the girls. I opened the door to the mansion and there at my feet was this little brown " egg". I couldn't believe my eyes. They aren't suppose to be laying eggs for another couple of months. I ran with it, to show Chuck and Genavive. Genavive's reaction was...." awwww it's so cute"......and Chuck laughed. I was so excited that " my girls" were laying already. I texted Shell and of course Charlotte. Charlotte asked if the boys could come see " the egg", the next day. I'm sure the next time I run into someone in town, they will say " I hear your girls are laying eggs".....lol. It will spread like wild fire...." the people from Florida, who lives in the woods, chickens are laying eggs." I'm so glad it happened while Genavive was here.

Nine THOUSAND chickens

We went on a " field trip" to Andrea's Dad's chicken houses. What an adventure! These chickens are not raised for meat....they are raised for their eggs. The eggs are fertilized and when they are laid, they are collected and sent to a hatchery to be hatched for the baby chicks....then those chicks are sold. In the one house we were in, there were over 9,000 chickens!!!!!! Sure was noisy! ....and the smell wasn't too good, but not as bad as I had expected. It was fun seeing all those chickens. All of them were white.....as far as you could see, were white chickens. After seeing all those chickens, Andrea took us into the " egg room" and told us all about how they have to keep them at a certain temperature before they are sent off to the hatchery. While we were in the egg room....Andrea gave us a bunch of " double yolked" eggs to take home. They were huge! Fresh eggs taste richer than the ones in the store. ...it's a nice taste. We thoroughly enjoyed our "field trip" and I think one that Genavive will always remember.

After the trip to the chicken houses, we went back to Andrea's and Genavive went swimming with Cason, while Chuck and I visited with Andrea and Andy. Of course we were served " homemade ice cream". I am beginning to think no one "buys" ice cream during the summer up here. ...I just love it!

The last trip to the garden

resting on the swing after picking lots from the garden

The day before Genavive had to go home, we made one last trip to the garden to pick what needed to be picking. ....and there was a LOT! The gardens were just a part of the fun and things that Genavive is going to remember in her memories of Oona and Papa.

Gone Fishing.....

Genavive's big cat fish!

Horses coming to say " hello"

" Don't catch the cow!"

Cute little Ben

Chuck helping!

Stephanie catches the first fish!

Owen....a born fisherman!

Sure glad Papa was here!

We were invited to go fishing with the BNOE one morning, along with Stephanie and her little girl, from Nashville. That even made it more fun with all the kids. The pond we fished at was just down the road a bit and is owned by our good friend's father. We were told we are welcome to fish in it any time we want. People are just the nicest up here. When we first got there, the cows and horses that live around the pond, came to check us out and then never bothered us again. The first one to catch a fish was Stephanie and then everyone followed....all but me! After Charlotte made some changes with my pole and I started catching some little bream. ....never did catch a cat fish like everyone else. Genavive even caught a HUGE cat fish! Little Ben was soooo cute. He actually caught several fish and was doing really good by myself until he caught the seat of his pants....lol. Chuck came to his rescue! At first we were throwing the fish back but Owen decided he wanted to eat his, so we started keeping them on a stringer. By the time we left, we had kept around five or six and Charlotte took them home, skinned them and they had them for dinner. Since we are welcome to fish any time, Chuck and I are going back to fish and bring some home for our dinner.

Quilt Guild

Genavive was here for my "quilt guild meeting" and it was special this month because in Feb. we have " soup lunch" where everyone brings a soup to share and in July we have " salad lunch" which we shared all kinds of yummy salads. It was also special for me because I got to bring Genavive with me. I taught her how to "hand embroidery" and she was making a pillow case with cute little lady bugs on it. She was working on a big lady bug, that Aunt Shell had drawn for her. After our meeting, we always have " show n tell" and I love seeing all of the different quilts that everyone has made or is working on. After that, we spend the afternoon sewing on what ever project you want. It's all so inspiring to me.