Country Bohemian Home

Well we finally got out of the city. We found a rental property with a lot of acreage and cows and wild turkeys are included in our view out the windows. We are loving it so far. At night we can see the stars, so many stars. I had forgotten how many there were. There are no sounds of traffic or sirens or even dogs. It is my idea of heaven really. And most exciting of all, I finally have a flock of chickens. Well, chicks right now. Four little White Leghorns and two Barred Rocks. The place cam with a chicken coop that just needed a few repairs and updates. Sorry for the photo heavy post, but I wanted to share my joy.

 The creek

 View from the kitchen windows

 Turkeys in the morning

 Cows and green everywhere

Spring fed brook

 Living room stone fireplace

 Sophie

 Kitchen

Other side of living room

 Chicks!! They are growing fast.

The dogs love their new found freedom.

Sam sure has grown. He will be 6 months old next week. He weighs around 45 lbs. And is learning more and more how to be a good dog every day. He brings a lot of joy and fun to our house. Katy is reinvigorated because of him. They love each other and get along well.

We have a new family member

On December 14th we added a new addition to our family. Meet Samy, he is a yellow Lab that we adopted from the local animal shelter for Sophie. She had been begging for a puppy for several years and things just fell into place for it to happen this year. We were planning on another Golden, but when I saw these three little Lab pups on the animal shelter's web page, well I just had to take one.
Unfortunately, less than a week later he developed Parvo and was very sick little guy for about a week. At one point I was not so sure he would make it. We had him on IV fluids and fed him pedialyte and broth for several days. Then he finally rallied.And is now a completely healthy pup.

He is settled in nicely and he and Katy, our golden, have become a sort of friends. Katy plays with him much of the time, and tolerates him the rest of the time. They will eventually become the best of friends. I hope.

New Bohemian Home!

We finally found the perfect home for us. It is just right, on a beautiful piece of fenced property in the school district that we wanted to keep Sophie in. It has space, space for all four of us, and for the four pets, as well as the puppy that Sophie is requesting for her 10th birthday next year. I am so thrilled with it. I was at work today thinking about how the light shines through the many windows in the living/dining room and catches the sparkles in the sun catchers and crystals that hang there. I was wondering what my hubby was doing in our lovely new home. I have so many bohemian plans for the space, and especially the garden/yard. More on that to come. Peace.

More of the tiny house

 Finally getting around to posting the other photos of the tiny bohemian house we now live in.
Not the best quality, but first is the kids room.

 The bathroom sink, and the tub area.

 Then last our bedroom with a view into the hallway and the bath.

TIny Bohemian Home

 

 

Finally got the photos of the house to load. The first one is the kitchen as you walk in the back door.

 The next one is the dining 'room'. viewed from the living room

 Then we have the living room with two furry friends relaxing there.

 The best part of the house I think, is the fire place, so awesome during this cold weather.

 The living room looking into the hall and the kids room.

 And finally, the living room looking toward the front door.

Next I will share some photos of the bedrooms and bath, also outside. This little house is taking some aadjustments on all our part, but it is cozy.

My Little Pony

My dad got a new pony for the grand kids. It is a rescued pony from a neglected bunch that made the news.

It is a beautiful Welsh pony, chestnut colored with a blonde mane and tail.

His hooves have been let go and so he needs corrective farrier work done, that is happening this week. He is a gentle pony and very tame, following us around like a puppy.

The kids are thrilled about it, but none more than my little horsewoman, Sophie. She was the first to climb up and have a ride. Once his hooves are done, they will have even more chance to learn to ride a horse/pony and learn about caring for one.

I wish we lived closer as we can only visit on Sundays, but that is a great thing to look forward to.

I believe the kids have all agreed to call him Applejack, or A.J. for short.

Now about those chickens.......:)

Consciousness Rising

This past week Sophie has shown a tremendous leap in emotional maturity. On Friday, she had a 'fight' with another girl on the bus. This other girl was a friend and so the particulars were not very serious, a scuffle over a seat and then Sophie's glasses were knocked off and the other girl raised her fist to Sophie. Well, my strong willed girl was having none of being threatened and she grabbed the girl by the front of her shirt, inadvertently scratching her in the process. The girl was hurt and bleeding a little, so the bus driver stopped at the bus stop and spoke with both of the girl's dads. Noting that they were both to blame the bus driver chose no punitive action and left it to the parents to handle.

While talking to Sophie about it later that night, she became very upset about he possibility of being grounded. When we told her that she may not be, (we were trying to find out the best course of action if it was only self defense) she began crying out right and said that she should be grounded after what she did. Needless to say this surprised us after just hearing her saying she did not want to be grounded. We continued talking and listening to her side of the story and it began to be clear that she felt some guilt over having scratched the girl, which she said she didn't mean to do. Finally after we could not console her, I asked her what she thought a god grounding would be for what she did and she replied that she should be grounded from her DS. Her pride and joy. We were astounded. She then went on to say, after I asked her if a day was long enough, that it should be longer than a day. Her dad looked at me when she went to get a tissue and said "She has a conscious!"

It is times like this that make the very difficult and trying work of parenting so rewarding. All those important life lessons that you have tried to teach over those first few oh so important years comes to fruition. You are confronted with a beautiful soul, full of integrity and you realize that you had a little something to do with it. The feelings that this evokes cannot be described, but if you are a parent yourself, you will know what I mean.

Hibernating.....

We have settled into a routine of staying close to home and renewing our family bonds. After going through some very trying months last year, relationships within our family have knit themselves together again. Through much hard work and determination on all of our parts.

Many things have been put on hold while this catharsis has been taking shape. There are to be many changes in the coming months, some welcome, some not. But we have come to realize that we are a family and we can make a home anywhere as long as we are strong in each other.

So what have we been doing? I have been back at my old job as a vet tech since November. It is going well and I am feeling very fulfilled and glad. I took this semester off of college to get the job well in hand and prepare for my last semester, (I hope) The children are all busy creating their own lives and making plans. David is healing and healing relationships with us all. We are very hopeful that things are working out and happy together for the first time in a long time.

In between all the serious issues we have and are facing, we are all reading, a LOT. I am knitting and crocheting and Sophie is learning. We have watched a few good films and savored the time together.

Hopefully with the slow approach of spring we will come out of our caves, rubbing our eyes and ready to take on the challenges that this has all been preparing us for.

A Bit of a Catch Up.....

Sophie the little witch ready for the Grove Center Pumpkin Festival in October.






















She got her ears pierced for her 7th birthday. She is loving them.

Our little poppet was having trouble seeing distances clearly and got shiny new glasses "just like daddy" in December.

The gangs all here! Sophie's very

busy 7th birthday party was a big hit.

On Christmas morning, she really enjoyed the holidays this year.

More to come........

A Summer Afternoon

We spent an afternoon in the pool with Sophie. What a fun way to cool off in these terribly hot, humid dog days of summer. She is quite the little fish, swimming underwater easily now. She knows how to hold her breath, keep water out of her nose, float on her back, totally relaxed in the water.

Escape.......

I have suddenly become aware of the fact that I have been spending an awful lot of time browsing through blogs and looking at different things on the web, in order to escape the difficult things that are happening in my life right now.

It is really amazing how much time you can spend on the internet and getting lost in other people's seemingly carefree lives. Of course I know that is not the case, everyone has their own issues to deal with and problems. But somehow, reading about others lives and even their problems helps me escape from mine.

Living with someone who is dealing with addiction and healing is a long and sometimes lonely life. The pain and struggle that the loved one goes through is a vicious cycle and is so hard to watch. I sometimes think I experience as much pain as he does, though of a very different kind. Now we are almost at a place that he can have some healing and even the close approximation of a cure. Dare we even think that a cure is possible? It is almost too much to comprehend, living without the daily struggle to stay in recovery. Though much of this "cure" will include the same tried and true methods of counseling, support, and constant vigilance, it is supposed to be much easier. We will see. In the meantime, dealing with the issues surrounding addiction has me paralyzed. I cannot seem to get things done for feeling constantly on guard

Solstice Bonfire

We had to postpone our Solstice bonfire from Tuesday night until Saturday because of the rain. So last night we lit it and it was a lovely one as usual, thanks to David. We had only family here but that turned out to be a blessing having them all here. Plus two of the kid's friends.

We made s'mores and even had some drumming between Emily, Laura, Saed and myself. :)

The fire was spectacular I got some great shots of the flames and light.

The altar with the sun wheel I made of grapvine looked awesome.

Children's Festival of Reading

On Saturday we took Sophie to the Annual Children's Festival of Reading at the World's Fair Park in Knoxville. The highlight of the day for her was the public fountain that is a major attraction in the city for kids and adults alike. It turned out to be a hot day so it was a nice time for her.

The other big event was having one of her favorite books signed by the author, Grace Lin, author of the book, Lissie's Friends, among many more, was there! What a thrill for Sophie. She was so excited.

The local Kung Fu team put on an amazing dragon show, I only wish I had known the story behind it.

The drumming was amazing and beautiful.

I love this photo for the artistic quality, done quite unintentionally.

David and I enjoyed a day out with our girl.