Wood Chopping 101

As most of you know, we heat our house with a woodstove( i highly recommend one). We have a furnace as a back up if we are going to be gone but over-all its used maybe 2% of the time. The woodstove has proven itself quite efficient; sometimes too efficient. I'm sure a few friends and family have left here "lighter" on their feet due to profuse water loss. I actually had one friend who got a little light headed-oops.
The cold doesn't feel as "cold" after you get good and warm and then there is nothing like coming into a really warm house where you can feel the heat radiating from the stove. Wood heat is a "dry" heat so we definitely go through the lotion and saline nasal spray but I wouldn't get rid of it for nothing.(well, maybe nothing)
Okay, anyways, in order to use the woodstove we of course have to go get firewood and lots of it; usually 5 truck and trailer loads. Thanks to friends and family, cutting firewood has become a somewhat, enjoyable tradition that usually starts in May or June. This year, if the weather permits it, we are going to start in April. Volunteers are always appreciated-the more the merrier!
After the wood is home, it is unloaded and stacked; by this point each piece of wood has been handled 3 times and by the time it is in the stove, 5-6 times. (just something you think about when your loading, unloading , stacking, chopping, putting in the woodbox, and then finally into the stove).
When we cut wood, we bring just about everything home. If its 1-2" in diameter its coming home. The large stumps will need to be split later but that can wait until they dry out some, so here is Bryan showing us how to chop wood.



1st. make sure that you have pants on, a long sleeved shirt, gloves, good shoes, eye protection and ear muffs that have radio-yes radio. This all needs to be done before you start; oh, don't forget the ax; after all this you can select your victim(as Bryan is doing) and pretend that it was that person that........just joking!

When bending over, make sure that one of your legs is up as a counter-balance because some of those logs are heavy.

Another example of how to pickup wood

And now for the actual chopping; make sure that the log you are splitting is sitting on another log and not the ground(its to soft plus its "closer to the ground" and not you, which equals a longer distance before impact). Then with the ax in hand, both hands , swing it from up and over your head and make sure that you bend at the knees as it is coming down to add force.

As you come down, start to bend at the waist and follow through-imagine that you are going to split the log in one swing, chop, slice, whatever you want to call it.

Following through. When done with enough force the halves will actually go flying; one to the left and one to the right.

Ta-Da!! a split log ready for the stove.

After a hard workout of wood chopping make sure that you go sit down and take a break. This may be the most important part. If you were on the sidelines watching and photographing, make sure that you tell them thank-you and that you greatly appreciate them doing it so you don't have to. This step is necessary if you want a repeat a few days later when your running out of logs to burn.

One Evening

The girls are really into playing Memory lately and they got Dad in on the game this time(it worked out he was on his days off and mean ol' mom told them no nintendo). This is much better for them anyways. Time with Dad and a game that engages their brain not to mention a good way to get them wound down for the evening.


Jessie had her coloring book too(so she had something to do when it wasn't her turn)

Such a sweet expression

Marisa's wheel's are turnin'

Even the Reese, Sandy and Snowflake were getting in on the bonding time.

Ruby had other plans but Snowflake "snitched" on her. Ruby likes to stir things up-"if she ain't happy then no one is going to be happy".

Thinkin' Spot

Reese is a very odd cat at times. She can't see real clear so that just adds to her odd behaviors, one of which is sitting on anything and just about everything. If you leave a coat or hat on the floor, she is on it; a book bag, shoes, toys, clothes, boxes, etc..... she has to get on them and at least try them out for comfort. This particular day it was the book shelf, however, she didn't feel the need to get her entire body on(which can be quite the chore some days).


No, she doesn't miss to many meals.

"You interupted my thought"

Think, think, think......

Still thinking....

Snow Days

On Monday we got a good reminder that it is still winter; it was starting to really feel like spring for a few days-it was so nice. Anyhow, it snowed almost all day Monday and the temperature has dropped. The moisture is greatly needed and its a good excuse to go play while it lasts. Bryan and the girls had a blast playing. The girls talked him into hooking up the sled to the 4 wheeler twice. They went all over the place and looked like little snow monsters when they where done. I stayed in the house where it was nice and warm-still getting over bronchitis-obviously I went out and got a few pictures though.


Our driveway

Bryan and the girls getting ready to head out.

Marisa patiently waiting.

It took us a bit to convince her that she had to have her face covered if she was going to ride in the sled(Jessie got a bit of frostbite earlier this year so we weren't taken any chances). She thinks she looks like a robber-I think she's a cute one and really cute when she crosses her eyes as your trying to put the mask on-my sides still hurt from laughing.

Jessie in the blue.

" Here comes the man in black"

Intimidating-good thing( for his sake) I know who's behind the mask

Lee was out enjoying the snow too. He loves to chase after the sled and 4 wheeler.

THE AFTERMATH......

Don't let her tired, worn out look fool you-she was no where near being done.

Ummm.......why not

Missy, on the other hand, was quite finished.

There's nothing like natural camoflouge!

My Life, My Loves

On request, and I'm sure it was time, here are some very current pictures of us. I took these today and 2 days ago. As you will see in the pictures, the girls are growing like crazy. Its fun watching them as they continue to grow and develop their own personalities. I got a good reminder of how much I love them this past week when I was sick and they spent a lot of time with family so that I could rest. I am very thankful for having family so close but I was about to go crazy, not literally, with all of the time alone that I had. It may have been because I couldn't go outside and do something, anything-one of my favorite past times- and I was stuck in the house doing nothing-which is what I was supposed to be doing-and the weather was so nice-go figure-but the thought of not having them living at home crossed my mind and well, I will miss them. I do realize that they won't be moving out for a while, thankfully, but I think I got a taste of that "empty nest syndrome" and its not pleasant. Gives new meaning to "you don't realize what you've got until its gone" so, be thankful for the time you've got with your loved ones and make the most of it. Our children are going to grow up and as parents we are supposed to prepare them for "leaving the nest"; kind of funny-one day you can't wait for them to grow up and the next you want them to stop.
Okay, well on that happy note, here are some pics of our family, my loves, joys, stressers, tension causers, side-aches from laughing and my blessed life-I mean that too!!
My man going to fix "one" more thing. This fix, though, is something that I was really unsure of but in the end has been a really good thing. He had to shorten a counter top so that our new/used refrigerator would fit. I love the "new" fridge; it has a lot more space and we don't have to bend over to see/get what is on the top shelf; plus its tall enough that a liter of pop, gallon of milk and tea can all fit anywhere on the top shelf. thank-you huny!!

Little, sweet Miss Marisa.

They are a great team-you should watch the system that they get going when picking up dog-poop. Its never to early to start teaching the responsibility of owning pets, and Bryan likes to delegate chores that he really, really doesn't like to do.

"Can't you see that we are working here?"

Okay, like I said, they are growing like weeds. Well, not weeds, how about sunflowers?(I always think of weeds as being obnoxious, needing to be pulled, poisoned, burned, fed to the goats, anything that will eradicate them) Sunflowers are fast growing and always make me smile-maybe I'm getting carried away with the mental pictures-lets just look at the real deal.

Well, neither of them are standing up very strait here but they're cute.

Marisa is in one of her very "clingy" moods today and the little lion is her favorite stuffy this week, month, period of time...........

A proud daddy with his "little" girls.

You know, its kind of challenging to get a good family picture when no one is running the camera and your racing the timer. At first you feel rushed to get "in" the picture and then you feel like your having to hold a smile at a little red, blinking light that seems to go on way to long, however, I think we did pretty good.

If Jessie continues to grow at the rate that she is, she is going to be as tall as me if not taller in a couple years. Marisa on the other hand, is going to be more petite and not as tall, I think.

Camera Shy Azule

Well, as most of you know, and for those of you that don't, the crazy warm and cold weather has caught up with me and I've been plagued with bronchitis. Since it has been going on now for a week I am really getting tired of doing next to nothing, coughing, nothing, coughing, nothing, taken it easy, etc........Today I am really starting to feel better though. Of course, now the weather is going to be getting nasty again; they're(the weather people) are saying its supposed to snow starting tomorrow evening-maybe 2-5", but what do they know, right? I do have to remind myself that it is only February(spelled so weird) and we do live in Nevada so........let it snow!
Okay, the rest of the post....I decided to try to get some more pics of Azule; easier said than done-he doesn't like the camera. Why? I have no idea. He doesn't like guns or fireworks but I can understand this-there loud and can be dangerous but a camera? Its quite, it does flash though,sometimes. It is pointed at him but he's never had a gun pointed at him or been shot soo.....what's the deal? He just must be shy. I can relate to this-I used to hide if I new there was a camera out, especially a video camera.



Azule loves the bunny, Snowflake-they are never left unsupervised though. I think Snowflake appreciates that.

"Talk to the paw"

"What? I was taking a nap"

"I'm not looking at you" I'm sure he is thinking that he has other, better, things that he could be doing i.e. napping, gaurding the kong toy from the other dogs, barking at the neighbors, keep Lee and Hank in line......there's a whole list of things.

"I'm still not looking at you"

He almost looks worried.

"There, fine, are you happy now?"

Umm...thanks. Its not the most flattering picture but I'll take it.

Rebecca

This fall Becky(rebecca-one of my sisters) wanted some pictures taken of her and I jumped at the opportunity. I think that they turned out well-she is very photogenic.
She is a good scratcher too...just ask Riata.

She had just recently had her hair done...looks really nice.

For those of you that don't know Rebecca, she is a very fun, outgoing individual who loves the Lord, playing in the mud, taking walks, 4-wheelin' and driving really BIG haul trucks.