Last Day of 2018

It is a cold and blustery day on this last day of 2018.  It doesn't seem to bother these two. 

Most of the day was spent on snowy roads taking family to the doctors. 

I did try to occupy a bit of my time with some crocheting but most of the time it untangling the mess.

I decide to make a bunch of these snow globes for Epiphany except without the buttons. I have a bunch of novelty buttons that people can pick out ones they want to decorate their own globe with. 

I found the the pattern here at Repeat Crafter Me.

Ending the night with a good story, the fireplace and Dude.

peace 

Day .....December 26 Second day of Christmas -Celebrating Horses!

It is cold today. More firewood is being brought in for the threat of snow tonight. 

Today is the second day of Christmas in the Twelve Days of Christmas.   It is St Stephen's Day, also known as Boxing Day.  We placed our Blessing Box under the tree and throughout the day we will fill it with Blessings for Others. 

Saint Stephen's Day … you know, from the Christmas Carol  Good King Wenceslas....

Good King Wenceslas looked out
On the feast of Stephen
When the snow lay round about
Deep and crisp and even
Brightly shone the moon that night
Though the frost was cruel
When a poor man came in sight
Gath'ring winter fuel

"Hither, page, and stand by me
If thou know'st it, telling
Yonder peasant, who is he?
Where and what his dwelling?"
"Sire, he lives a good league hence
Underneath the mountain
Right against the forest fence
By Saint Agnes' fountain."

He was the first Christian martyr … a man standing up for what he believes … so hard in this day and age.  He is mentioned in Acts 6:5. ⁵This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. It is a day of service for many people. A time to donate to others, the Blessing Box for us under the tree. He is , for unknown reason, a patron saint of horses. Many people pamper their horses today, especially if they are work horses. It's a good day to go out on a horse drawn sleigh. Well, you'd have to have snow for that. The weatherman is calling for some snow but nothing measurable. Here are some of the horses we have owned,

So, for Dude and his love of horses, we are making little horseshoe cookies. 

Recipe:
6 tablespoons almonds
1 cup flour
5  tablespoons butter
3  tablespoons cream cheese.
2  tablespoons brown sugar
pinch of salt 

Pre-heat oven to 300*. 
Place almonds in food processor and grind. 
Add flour, butter, cream cheese, and sugar. Mix at medium speed .
Roll dough  and shape into small horseshoes, place on cookie sheet. I put foil on mine.
Bake for 30 minutes
Serve hot sprinkled with sugar.

They turned out like a sandy. Great with tea. 

Time to get ready for work but first I need to see what is spooking the sheep. They all just ran to the barn and the dog is taking a serious stance looking out to the field. 

peace

 

Day 25 ~ Merry Christmas

We began the morning peaking out of our many quilts.  I told Dude it was sure warm to which he replied... just wait until you get out from under the quilts. He was right.  It was a chilly moring and we got up to start a fire in the woodstove.   ...ahhh much better.

Next it was out to feed the lambs, chickens and turkey boarder - yes, she is still here. They were glad to see us. They were so hungry they wanted to save the caroling for this evening.

Hmmm some critter is trying to steal my corn I collected yesterday.

So I went ahead and gave the hens their presents.

Presents were opened , we felt like a queen and king.  Breakfast was made.  Mistakenly we gave all our eggs away as gifts. Without consulted each other and just seeing someone who could use them, we each gave them away all we had until they were gone.  No problem. Our pantry is full and we made black bean and bacon burritos from our summer canning and a local pig.

A morning bath was filled with hot water and a few drops of White Fir oil. The house and I both smelled lovely, just like a Christmas Tree.

The day was filled with music and fun.  For me it was doing what I loved … sewing, reading and a little exercise with the family and dog.

I got my skirt made for work tomorrow.  Nice with black boots and a warm black sweater since it is suppose to snow. 

More coasters made.

Dinner … again we ate like royalty, a homegrown roasted chicken surrounded by our carrots and potatoes.  Our own grown salad of lettuce and more. Dude out did myself making it all. 

Our two bald eagles came for a visit.  Perfect since they are sign of the divine. 

Merry Christmas!

Luke 2:15-20

When the angels went away from them to heaven,
the shepherds said to one another,
"Let us go, then, to Bethlehem
to see this thing that has taken place,
which the Lord has made known to us."
So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph,
and the infant lying in the manger.
When they saw this,
they made known the message
that had been told them about this child.
All who heard it were amazed
by what had been told them by the shepherds.
And Mary kept all these things,
reflecting on them in her heart.
Then the shepherds returned,
glorifying and praising God
for all they had heard and seen,
just as it had been told to them.

peace 

Day 24 Christmas Eve on the Homestead.

Christmas Eve is usually the day where things don't go just quite right.  For me , it began at work.

Someone left my chair decorated with Christmas cheer.  It was slow....very slow. Teams were sharing goodies they brought in.  My whole team was lucky enough to all have the day off.  It gave me time to really read email and clean it out.

Half way through the day our neighbors call to see if we lost any goats...huh? Not us but if you don't know who's they are we can hold them until you find the owners. I wasn't home but still working. I call  home and one of our friends and her nephew had just arrived with a plateful of cookies.  Dude said hop in the truck we are going to pick up some goats to hold for someone.  Never a dull moment.

It was fun for my friends who came to visit and drop of cookies to see our day. I drove up about this time.

Right then the honey wagon was pulling into the yard... you know the poo packer or in this case the Turd Hearse.  Company is arriving Wednesday and we don't want any issues.  Ah, the luxury of owning your own land, septic and leach field.

I went running out there to take pictures and learn about the process when half way there I was hit with the smell!  The guy pumping it out looks and me and says, what?  Ohmy, I don't know how one does that turdy, uh, dirty job.

Just then my friends say it's time to leave... smiles and head out. They are such wonderful friends and great sports! 

A big thank you to our neighbors Terri and Blake for rescuing and finding the owners of the goats.  We found out the names of the pygmy goats were Chaos and Fury.    ...and we were able to meet our new neighbor Alex! 

The rest of the evening was laughter and family. 

Merry Christmas everyone.  Sleep well. 

peace 

Day 23 of blogging 4 Sunday of Advent, Breakfast , Our Yule Log and more...

Here it is , the fourth Sunday of Advent.  We lit the candle of Peace. 

We have had a very stressful Advent.  And to deal with it my husband has always used humor. Whenever someone begins to lose their temper or raise their voice we say our dog's name in an exaggerated Boston accent..... NAAAMMMMAN!  (his  name is Norman)

So breathe.... 

We began the morning with egg cups but with a twist.  I put hash browns in the bottom of the tin. 

Then bacon wrapped on the edge, crack an egg and add pepper and parsley from the garden. 

Bake 400* 25 minutes.

Perfect.

Putting a load of laundry I see these two out the back window. They crack me up. 

They walk and hunt together. The dog will also drag the cat like it's a puppy and then they will begin their trek all over again. 

We took the dog for a walk today. 

Step by step , a little conversation, a little nature and home. 

I did glean some leftover corn from the field. 

Picked some Russian Olive branches.  I think they are pretty. 

Plus carrots... we are trying to eat a carrot or pepper a day. Today was carrot day. 

I brought in and stacked fire wood. It is a chore I actually like doing. 

For another long but not as long as the last night... a yule log is going into the fire. It smells wonderful.  Our log is not from a sacred tree but a symbol of the light to come and the ashes will be use to bless and nourish our garden. 

 

Dude is watching football I will be wrapping his presents and sitting in my favorite spot... reading.

In case you missed today's reading:

"Blessed are you among women, and blessed 

is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of our Lord should come to me?  For at the moment of the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled."

peace