Well we have hunkered down for winter…  YEAH!!!!  This Thursday it will be 4 weeks that we have been back here and unable to leave via the truck.    We have left 5 times on the snowmobile and right now the snow is almost too deep to continue using the snowmobile and we are expected to get snow everyday this week…   We also ventured out several times on foot via the snowshoes.  Last Sunday we hiked to church which is about a 3 1/2 mile hike one way – we left with our ruck sacks on our backs and our snowshoes in tow.  After church we walked across the street to our local store which has a little bit of everything and gas.  It is the closest store and only store within 30 miles – we filled our packs – put on our snowshoes and hiked back in….  It was AWESOME and an ABSOLUTELY gorgeous day…

We have been busy and I apologize that I have not been keeping up with the blog.  I have been blessed with more business than I know what to do with….    YEAH!!!   So I have been having a hard time keeping up with this…

Today, Austin and I made homemade peppermint patties, chocolate dairy free fudge, and double chocolate gluten free/casein (dairy) free brownies… Yummmmm…..  We have also been making our own breads as of late too and experimenting with what works best in getting Austin’s wheat free flours to rise…  A bit tricky to say the least – The best part is if it doesn’t quite make it as bread – it makes great pretzels so it is a win win…  We like both…

Austin has been busy schooling and learning a lot of additional trades out here.  We bake often – we have been doing a lot of stitching and sewing, he and Glen built a log cabin style smoke house and Glen has been working on making several knives out of the files my Poppa donated for the task.

We are warm and cozy with no question – our woodstove has been holding the house steady between 79 and 86 degrees – you would think we were in the Bahamas based on how we dress in here – it is rather comical when we go outdoors for something and come in and strip down the Carhart bibs to have a pair of shorts underneath and a tank top…

Glen also did a bit of his adventuring last week – Thursday he spent the night outdoors in the shelter he had been building on Wednesday and Thursday.  It was to get down to –14 degrees that night – it made it to 0 degrees that we both saw, but we aren’t real sure how accurate our thermometers are…  Never the less it was cold and he had a blast… He did a bit of filming and this video will be hitting youtube sometime in the near future….  A trapping and mountain man website is forming..   We also have a Treasures in the Backwoods website forming as I am starting to make my own homemade organic soaps, candles, candies and somewhere down the road will be my pottery.

We are also getting into doing some leather working out here and plan to use our future hides for various items.  Austin made a canvas pouch on Sunday for his bb’s – it was a cream color canvas and he wanted it darker for in the woods so we did some coffee staining and it is getting there.

We are doing our homework right now too for our Spring and Summer foraging out here.  Next winter we hope to not have to buy any canned goods.. We will have a busy year…

Well must get back to getting my taxes done here… UGH!!  I have been uploading new pictures since Saturday and will be sorting thru those and publishing them for your viewing.  I will post again when they are available and I will be working on catching you up since the 1st of the year – as you can tell – lots going on ALL the time…

Oh yes and we have a new name back here….  Our Pastor Brian was kind enough to give us a name. we are “The Backwoods Gang”….    More to come with this as well….

XOXOXO  To all and God Bless!