AH! I can't believe I've let a whole week slip by without blogging. Truth is, this week marked the first week back to school. And, let me tell you... it. has. been. busy. So much so that, I have to admit, I have been shamefully cranky. I don't know hay it's gotten me in such a tizzy. Maybe it's that I've never had this kind of responsibility. The end of this month will be our one year anniversary of being homeowners. We jumped head first into animals, building, gardening, and preserving and there has been little time to look back and slow down. 

Honestly, I don't know if we can. Can we slow down with all these things? I've had to do some real attitude checking. If I'm going to make this little piece of land what I want it to be, then I've got to realize that it's going to take a lot of work. And I have worked! I've never worked harder in my summers off! I love working hard, and I do find pride in it all, but there are days when I would love to lay in the floor and whine and scream and complain... but what good does that do? It just makes me look like a brat. And a brat I am not.

So, I'll just gird my loins and suck it up and put a smile on face. The LORD has blessed us so very much and how dare I complain about it. I don't want for one second for Him to see me unfit for all of this. And that is what I have acted like this week. 

With that said... let's catch up! What has happened this week in front of the Twin Cedars?
1. Canning. Ten gallons of tomatoes... it may be more than that since that's what I'm doing this morning as I type is put one batch in the canner, type, take out put in, type, rinse, repeat. I thought canning five pints of tomatoes was a lot of work. Eesh. Here I have to brag on Mister, though. He knew I was busy this week and took it upon himself to do practically all the canning. He's the man.
 
2. New puppy. Jessie Belle now has a little brother named Hank. I have never seen her so excited. We take her with us to any friend's house and outdoor gatherings so she can play with other dogs. Jessie Belle loves to play with other doggies and we finally decided that it was time to get her a playmate of her own. You know, so she wouldn't be an only child. Hee hee! When Hank came out of the blanket I was holding him in Jessie went crazy. She sniffed, she yelped, she put her face down next to his with her hiney stuck in the air, and tail wagging. They have been playing all morning on the porch and I know they'll both sleep good tonight! As for Cat. She has shown her approval by leaving me a mouse on the porch. I think she's happy she'll no longer be the object of Jessie's play and she will sit on the porch rail and watch them run around.

3. First week of school. Check out the Day Job tab for that. 

4. Ducks! We went to the auction last night and came home with four small ducks. They look a wee bit rough and I'm keeping them separated from the chickens for a while to make sure they're healthy.

5. The garden is still putting out squash and zucchini. The garden is also just now putting out loads of tomatoes since we planted them so late. (A mistake we'll remember next year) I took a giant basket to school this week and let my team pick out whatever they wanted. After canning every day this week, the last thing I wanted was to can some more! I might as well share!

6. Tilling! We tilled the area of the garden where our corn was so that we can start our fall plants. I'll be putting in pumpkins today! EEEE! I picked another from an earlier plant I planted with the summer garden. When I picked that pumpkin I swear the leaved changed colors for a second and fall breeze brushed a hair across my forehead. Mmmm... it's so close! 

That's about it. I will leave you with a few pictures. The pictures of Hank were super hard to get. He's so much more squirmy than Jessie was when she was tiny!