First, a confession. I have not been doing a good job of taking pictures lately. Therefore the photos in this post are merely representative of what has been going on!
We are working on cleaning up the backyard which includes splitting wood, stacking and getting some ready to sell. We won't need ALL this wood as we won't be using it to heat with. There is only one wood-burning fireplace. If anyone local needs firewood, give us a call, we'll be happy to deliver it for you. It is all oak and maple.
Today, Michelle got up early to bake pies for a local contest. She was tired and discouraged when she didn't win. They looked great and I am sure tasted delicious. They were all GF. Congratulations to our friend Joanne B for winning 2nd prize!
We are busy sorting and discarding. Large art projects, such as this are being photographed and discarded. Elizabeth painted this window about a year ago. We just don't have space to store everything in the new house. Downsizing is a lot of work and is very stressful to my slow decision making brain, but in the end it will be freeing.
Why this photo? Because this weekend Paul is away at a christian camp helping to run the upper ropes courses and zip line for a group renting the facility.
If our guests from last night see this.... don't be offended. This picture represents hospitality. We have been having company lately. Last night we had some dear friends over to dinner. They brought their 8 children who still live at home. The 'children' (aka teenagers and young adults) had such a good time playing 'ultimate frisbee' and other games in the back field. I was really proud of the children. They all participated in making the meal. T-Bob made the chili, JoAn made the pasta, corn on the cob, cornbread and salad, and Thomas made the apple crisp for desert. It was such a pleasant evening.
JoAn has been busy studying for her tax course. I am really working to get all the school stuff organized and ready to go. With all the delays I have to start school whether we are in the middle of moving or not. Otherwise, school won't start until Thanksgiving. The children haven't been too disappointed in having a later start, but it is time to get going!
One of our projects for today is to get the garden weeded and the plants that are finished cleared out. I am still sorting and discarding clothes. I need to get our homeschool notification in Monday, which means I need to fill in my list of proposed curriculum. I think I will work on that during the OSU Buckeyes game. Tomorrow is Grandparents Day! Need to work on getting Sunday dinner prepped for tomorrow. At least I know what I am going to make. That is always the hardest part of the battle.
OK, I am done talking about it and I am heading off to get it done. Have a blessed Lord's Day tomorrow!
Dallas the dog was very fascinated by the whole wood splitting process. He had his nose in everywhere. But what he really loved was our reject pile of rotten wood.
He sniffed and scratched at the pile and then would grab a piece and run off as though he had stolen a prize and take it to the middle of the yard.
He guarded it from all takers.
He gnawed on it like it was the tastiest bone. We were a little intrigued by his sudden appetite for wood. If he kept this up he would be cheap to feed!
Lots of slimy dog treats! Yuk!!!!
Job #1 is to restack the wood from last year so that it gets used first. This was a bigger job than it should have been, as the initial QC (quality control) was poor. The first stack fell down when it was about 65% complete. The pile was not straight, it looked like a drunk trying to walk a straight line. No wonder it toppled. We tried again with a bit more success.
Then on to the new wood. We had the logs from three big trees stacked in our driveway and side yard. We started on Monday with the splitting. We were glad to have Mr. Boots home. The girls had to work all week, how convenient for them, and so it was mom and the boys who attacked the pile.
Some of the pieces of oak were very large. Over 36" in diameter. It is also very green. The whole tree fell over in a storm, so it wasn't rotten at all. We did that last so that it would be stacked in the last used part of the wood pile. Dallas loved having people outside all day to hang out with.
Mr. Boots and T-Bob did a lot of the stacking the first couple days until the pile was well defined. Then the jobs got shifted around.
Thomas was the wheelbarrow transporter and part-time stacker. 
In the evening, when Michelle came home, she spent some time helping to split. 
We had a guest helper this week. My SIL Mary dropped in for a few days unexpectedly and was a great help with the project. She worked primarily loading the wheel barrow. By the third day my right arm was giving out and so I really appreciated her help.
T-Bob was under the tutelage of Mr. Boots. His QC did improve through out the week. He likes the feeling of building his muscles while he works. That oak is heavy!!
Wood week is a great opportunity for family bonding. We all work together. 
We aer not quite done splitting the oak. The pile currently stands at ~8' high, 12' deep and about 14' wide. It will easily get us through the winter burning 2 wood stoves pretty much 24/7. We were real blessed to have these trees given to us. We shouldn't have to use our boiler at all. We may get to save the oak and other green wood for next year. We may have one more tree to split still.