Life

So please do not feel neglected.  I haven't even touched the computer in a week!  I've been busy living life.  I have been reflecting how much my life has changed in our move.  So to give you an idea in Colorado my typical day would have gone like this:
  ~ Get up between 5:30-6:30
  ~ Make my tea and get on computer, to check e-mail, plan school, fill in work info, ect.
  ~  Greet my first child by 7:00 at the latest..I did childcare from home for years and my charges started arriving between 6-7.
  ~ Finish my computer work while charges play quietly and others arrive. 
  ~ 9:00  make breakfast and by now my children are waking up
  ~ feed everyone and clean kitchen
  ~ get my kids school going
  ~ Clean something, start laundry, teach someone
 ~ 12:00 make and clean up lunch
~ 1:00 Naps!  My favorite time of day.. I eat now and help my kids with school
~ See children off by 6:00
~ somewhere in there I've made dinner and we eat about 6:00
~ Clean kitchen again
So if you have kids you know that in this mess of a schedule you are changing diapers, feeding, teaching, preventing disasters, cleaning spit up and worse, rocking, and loving children all day. Dishes didn't get done everyday, but usually by Friday I managed to vacuum, clean 2 bathrooms, and keep us all from killing ourselves on stray toys.
I had conveniences of a dishwasher, washer and dryer, microwave, refrigerator, freezer, and a grocery store 5 blocks away.
I had 10 years of diapers, feeding, and love from 20 plus children (not all at the same time:) I usually had 6 kids daily. My days were pretty much the same day to day and yet always new.  Kids make life interesting!

Now fast forward to now and I haven't figured out what a typical day is but here's what has to get done daily.
~ Bring in firewood (sometimes requiring splitting first)
~ Get water jugs filled
~ Dump grey water
~ Feed and water Chickens
~ Get the fire started or keep it going
~ Cook meals and Dishes.
~ Sweep trailer
~ Kids School
Of course dishes are a constant.   Cooking requires more planning as I have no microwave to quickly thaw meat and no oven for baking (yet). 
I am in the best shape of my life.  Ever wonder why when you read books like Little house on the Prairie they never mention exercise as a to do? They didn't need it.  While I could lift a 40 lb kid they hang on when you get them up. Lifting 40+ lbs of dead weight is very different! I can lift a feed sack although I prefer Super D to do it.  I have to carry wood and move a 5 gallon bucket of grey water daily.  That 5 gallon bucket of water has gotten easier.  At the beginning of summer I had to use a cup to scoop almost half the water out into my water can before I could lift the bucket.  Now I can move the bucket but I still have to stop half way to my destination  for  rest.  But eventually I'm sure it will be no problem. 
I walk at least a mile daily just going to the outhouse, carrying wood, or water.
Now I'm not doing this all on my own, everyone has their jobs to do. 
Super D has been working pretty consistently away from home the last several weeks which left me to get firewood.  We had used all the smaller stuff from our stock so we were having to split the logs.  Well for fun Sassafras got some pictures of my attempts!

 Opps That's not right!

Ok that's better! Hitting these logs just right is trickier that it looks and no I didn't split this log but for the record I have succeed some.  Thankfully we don't have to rely on my log splitting skills or we might be a little cold! Super D bought a rick of wood (a rick I learned is 4ft long and 8ft wide area of wood) so we have enough on hand now.  
That box in the background is where our chickens are living right now.  I'll post more about that soon! 

For now I am enjoying what I call the simple life.  It's not easy just simple as I don't have the stress of worrying about getting paid, what bill I need to pay first, and what kid is screaming bloody murder and why.  I love not having to look at the clock everyday as I have no schedule to keep.  We sleep until were rested and work until the necessities are done. Everyone does their part to keep things running.  I have my family close and everyone is content as long as the fire is stocked and dinner makes it to the table.  I can look out side at any moment and enjoy what God created, not just the side of the house next door blocking any view of nature.
This is my life now and I am thrilled to have it. Not that I didn't have a great life before but just feel like we've finally made it home.