Still alive...

You remember that moment in the late fall when you realize that life is about to finally slow down? You know~after the canning, garden clean-up, butchering, winterizing, back-to-school planning, etc...

I remember it too.

Only, the slow-down didn't happen here.

Still busy, just a different kind of busy. Here's some of what we've been up to...

Bailey guarding the feed room door.

We said goodbye to our beloved behemoth, Bailey. At 14-1/2 years old, arthritis had set in and  crippled her. She was ready, even if we were not. The hardest decision was whether to let her die of natural causes and bury her, or to call the butcher truck and end her suffering.

We chose the latter. Somehow, it seemed less wasteful. Hopefully by the time our hamburger is ready, we'll be ready.

For now though, we're eating a lot of vegetarian meals.☺

"Hey Porky, you've got a smear of jelly behind your ear!" Pigs.

Porky left for freezer camp too. The largest of our three pigs, he weighed in right at 300 lbs. His siblings were about 50 lbs. behind him, so they're hanging out a little longer.

Porky was a real pig.

We'll give up our vegetarian ways when the bacon is ready.☺

Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company~LOVE.

My seed order finally arrived. All 66 packets of seeds. I've always said that I'm an addiction just waiting to happen.

Hi. My name's Kim and I'm a seed catalogue-aholic.

Hmm...I thought that would purge my guilt. But alas, I have none. Not whatsoever.

Shameless. Is it Spring yet?

12 feet of laminated ugliness.

I've been spending a lot of time with the new "man" in my life. His name is Mr. Orbital Sander. I love him. He allows me to take ugly furniture like the table above, and turn it into something less ugly.

Sand, primer, sand, paint, sand, paint, sand, seal.

It's hard to tell from the picture, but the table color is ivory painted over barn red, then sanded. I'm not sure it will stay this color, but for now, I'm diggin' it.

I'm currently eye-balling some ugly laminate cabinets...

...in the dining room, utility, family room, and all 4 bathrooms.

My Mister got scared, so he booked us vacation tickets to Cancun.

Like a trip to a tropical paradise will distract me from Mr. Orbital Sander.

Pshhh...Men.☺