Friday morning....

Well, we got here.  It is finally Friday morning.

It was the first full week of school for the kids....starting the year with a week of 3 days, then a week of 4, warming up to this week.  School definitely in session.

And with school, comes our new routine.  And we are beginning to settle into it.  The mornings go by fast....getting up early to work from home, then breakfast for the husband before he runs out the door, followed by caring for the chickens and the cats.  At 6:15 am, bright and early, I am rousing the kids with a wake up call, as we leave for school an hour later.  Come 9am, I am settling in to the office, having already been up for 6 hours, and ready for yet another cup of coffee. 

This is oddly comfortable.

What is missing, however, is time in the garden.  I am a mix of emotions as we work to close down the garden...sad that summer as passed and the cool weather is rushing in, but content in knowing the harvest is nearly done.  The freezer and pantry (although small) are close to bursting with frozen and canned goods from the garden's bounty, and I am welcoming the break.  Only a few crops are still left out - mainly the rest of the butternut squash, pumpkins, a few late edamame plants, and the sweet potatoes.  Many of these will be coming out in the next few days.

I have been spending much for time crafting, as you may have noticed from past posts....crochet has caught my attention again, and while I wish I could knit with the best of them....I can't deny that I love the ease of handling only one needle at a time.  And there are very few things better than having cozy family time indoors crocheting a warm gift for another, while the brisk, and often rainy, weather carries on out of doors.

And I feel more prepared for this coming winter than last.  This will be our second winter with the chickens, and we have made some good decisions to handle it well.  The coup built by the husband is holding strong, and we have downsized from a count in the 20's last winter, to only 16 feathered ladies this time around.  Everyone fits in the large coop together, and we have the heated mat, heat lamp, and heated water dish ready for the frosty weather.  That being said, I do so hope that such temperatures are still far off.

But, for now....it is time to continue on with this morning.  Chickens, cats, kids....here we go again ;)