It's kind of hard to see in the photo but James has been busy chopping wood. There's a stack next to the cabin and he's started splitting some next to the tree stump. Nothing is wasted. He's put the wood chips in a bucket to use kindling.
During his break he stopped in the house to check on baby Emily. She's sleeping soundly in her cradle.
The jars of vegetables on the shelf over the window are some of the fruits of Rebekah's labor last summer.
This was my last project for the night and I'll be heading to bed soon. Rebekah's lace trimmed nightgown is on the left and James' plain muslin nightshirt is on the right. Emily got a new quilt and she's bundled up in it on the bed. I found one box small enough to stay on the shelf. I'm still thinking about what I want to put on the shelf. I'll probably pretty the box up a bit, too. Oh, and the door latch is now stained to match the door.
James has also been busy inside, adding storage to their tiny home. (I guess that's why he hasn't gotten any wood chopped yet!) First, there's the shelf over the window which holds the home canned goods. (The liquid in the jars isn't dry yet.) The jars have rounded rims which look like the glass jars with wire bails to seal them. I added a clear plastic punch out lid and made the wire bails from thin wire. When dry you'll see 2 jars of green beans, 1 of carrots, and 1 of beets.
Then there's the peg rack by the fireplace. The broom hangs there.
And, finally, there's a shelf/peg rack combination over the bed. That gives storage for nightwear, boxes, etc. (All still to be made.) You can also see the inside of the door latch. When the latch string on the outside is pulled, the latch lifts so that the door can be opened. When you are inside and want to "lock" the door, you simply pull the latch string inside.
The table is set to enjoy coffee and some of that apple pie. The cupboard has the extra dishes.
There's a pot of stew simmering over the fire for later. A handmade doily and the family Bible decorate the mantel.
A wash stand with pitcher and bowl stands ready in the corner. There's a mirror over the peg rack and a rifle resting near the door.
I love how it turned out with the chinking between the logs. I used matte finish fabric paint. The squeeze bottle made it really easy to apply and control. The door was a real pain and I'm still not entirely happy with it but it's finally in. I "aged" the window glass with Gallery Glass paint. There's no way a pioneer family would be able to afford a piece of glass that large. I may divide the window into panes.
James and Rebekah will live here with their infant. The quilt on their bed was a wedding gift. The pie board was made by my friend, Brenda. I need to fill the cupboard and make a pot of stew to hang over the fire. I also want to make some things to hang from the pegs by the door. I want a Bible to place on the mantel and an oil lamp for the table. I think I want a trunk to put under the window (they would have had one for their travels) and I want a cradle for the baby. I'm hoping to put the cabin on a larger board and landscape it. It will have an outhouse, a tree stump for chopping wood and maybe a vegetable garden.
