Angel Baby

Just in case anyone ever doubted my angelic qualities, here is some photographic proof!

Christmas Program 2008

Grace sang her heart out last week at her school Christmas Program. She was definately the loudest one. I'd reminded her not to hike her dress up right before she went up on stage because she kept trying to pull her tights up. (Girls you know how that goes, the crotch is ALWAYS at the knees by the time you walk very far). She did pretty good but still managed to ball her dress up into a knot before it was over. Her teacher must have motioned to her or she remembered not to about halfway through.

On the way to the car I was telling her how good she had done and she said, "Mama I didn't even hike up my dress!"

That's my girl.

A Man and His Ass

Bryon volunteered to walk the donkey behind the church float for the Marshfield Christmas Parade last Saturday. One of the church member's daughters (Katie) who is 14 was dressed up as Mary and was riding along. Darrell (the donkey's owner) said if Alvie (the donkey) made it through the entire parade it would be the longest hike he'd ever been on (he's 12). Skeptical but game, Bryon loaded up on range cubes (donkey snacks) and they headed out. Grace rode on the float which consisted of a rocking chair with one of the church mom's in it reading the Christmas story to some kids by the fireplace and the most pathetic Charlie Brown Christmas tree you've ever seen. For some reason we had three wisemen walking alongside too handing out flyers for the Live Nativity our church is doing over the next three nights for promotion. It was quite the spectacle. Grace rode on the float, wrapped up, cold and somber the whole time. I rode in the cab of the truck.

I kept hoping for my $10,000 video opportunity but missed it because right as we rounded the square in front of the parade judges, a bunch of motorcycle riders revved up their bikes and that was all she wrote for Alvie. Alvie bucked, kicked Katie off over the top of his head and generally seized up. Bryon had two range cubes left and tried to help Katie up and Alvie off the street but Alvie wasn't having anymore to do with the parade. Finally Bryon told Katie to grab some peppermint sticks that were littering the street and enticed Alvie to the courthouse lawn until Darrell could arrive and retrieve his errant donkey.

All's well that ends well. I'm just glad I wasn't Mary.

Tomorrow night Grace and I will be Angels in the Live Nativity.

I don't know why we sign up for this stuff.

Bell Ringers

Bryon and Grace rang the Salvation Army bell at Walmart last Saturday while I shopped for groceries. Bryon insisted they needed Santa hats. He chose this joker model and Grace didn't want to wear one until she saw the Angel hat. They made a pretty good haul for the charity and we all went to Sonic for drinks afterwards.

Thirty Four Books

I've been keeping track of all the books I've been reading on a site called Shelfari.com and the best I can track I've read 34 books this year! I still have two more I hope to finish by the end of the year. I think that's probably the most I've ever read in a year. I didn't even count all the books I've read to Grace. Bryon's read several to her as well.

I've been taking Grace to the library every week for a new batch of reading materials. She just randomly grabs things from the shelves which drives me CRAZY! Mostly she just wants to play the computer games they have setup on one computer for the under 6 set. She's actually learning how to do a couple of the games. That leaves me free to choose books for her, more carefully, more conscientiously. She still randomly plops a few on top of the stack at the last minute just so she can have the last word, literally.

She's definately her mother's daughter.

Christmas Girl

I almost didn't even send out Christmas cards this year but last night finally got most of them addressed, labeled and sent out today. We had a Christmas party last night so Grace was all dressed up and we went upstairs and snapped a picture of her under the tree. She's a cutie :) and getting more grown up each day.

Where's Waldo?

Well it's not exactly Waldo but it is Chickeno. One night last week I put the remaining eight chickens up for the night and came inside to fix dinner. When Bryon came home he stuck his head in the door and yelled for me to come to the garage. Well I didn't know what the heck he was hollering about and stomped out to the garage with stuff cooking on the stove. He pointed to the rack of shelves in the garage and I looked and didn't see anything until I finally registered that one of the Araucana's was roosted on the shelf.

Now every night I count them to make sure all eight are in the coop and when one is missing I know where to look. She's took to roosting on the top shelf which I can't reach so when Bryon gets home he has to collect her and carry her back out to the coop.

Crazy chickens.

A Date With Destiny

January 8 is the butcher date for the pigs. Our neighbor and Hannah's local Curt stopped by and took a look at them to see what he thougth they weighed and he guessed them at about 250 lbs. It's hard to see it but he should know because he helped butcher four hogs a couple of weekends ago. Ours are going to the locker plant. I don't think we're ready for hog butchering on the farm yet. I would like to go over there next time they do it and learn how but I know how big a job working up a deer is and the thought of doing THAT in January is not very appealing. Cheaper but not appealing right now. If we had just bought those little guys a couple of months earlier we'd already be eating sausage now and not having to feed and water them in the cold and dark. A good farming lesson learned.

Bryon is lobbying for a mercury light on the back side of the cabin or on the electric pole for the cabin but I'm holding out. That's one of the things I love about it out her is that it is pitch dark at night. Now, do I go out every night and enjoy the stars? No, but I could if I wanted to. I try to feed them if I get home before him and it's still light outside. They are big but they aren't mean. I don't like going into the pen because they try to root the bucket out of your hands and stick their entire heads into the bucket and they are STRONG.

It's hard to believe now that they started out like this in July

I don't know how much meat we'll get out of them but I'm looking forward to some sausage grave soon!

Simple Christmas and Media Addiction

Everyone has  been excited about the simplified Christmas this year and the no gift exchanging plan. The one family gathering where I thought I would have to buy a gift for it now turns out that I won't have to. No one wanted to trade names for the kids so my Grandma is buying one gift for each child  to open under the tree at our family gathering. I don't think the kids will even know or remember the difference. We'll see.

People have been sending me links to check out from websites that help promote this idea. This one was a good one I just checked out http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/pdf/CommercialFreeHolidayGuide.pdf 

One of their ideas was a television free time. That's a hard one for me. I WANT to turn the thing off but I can't stand the silence. I know I could listen to music but it's such a hard habit to break and I REALLY enjoy the down time sitting on the couch catching up on my DVR'd shows. Maybe we could try it for one day a week or something and work up. Or only watch our DVR'd shows for a week. Part of my problems is my slight news addiction. The election really fed that monster for me. I don't know why I feel like I have to hear it all four times: on the morning radio news, at noon on the radio, on the ride home on the radio and then on television. The other part of the equation is the background noise. I just have to have something going on all the time. I don't know why. Maybe I'd adjust to life without it, but like chocolate I'm pretty sure I don't REALLY want to. I like the idea of it mostly and admire others who CAN do it.

Hmmmm, it's almost time for New Years resolutions again. Maybe it's something to consider.

I think everyone is following the no gift plan. Of course we are buying some things for Grace, but all she has asked for is a REAL microphone. Santa will bring her that along with some more gumballs for her gumball machine she got on her birthday and a few other little items. Grace is going to go stay with Nana the weekend before Christmas so we can go to town for a few hours before another Christmas party to shop for her. Hopefully we can keep things under control and not just go nuts overbuying . That is the plan anyway.

It's going to be hard for Bryon though because he loves to give and always comes up with good and thoughful gifts. He brought home a sack Monday night from work where they were having a craft show and presented me with a VERY cool patriotic purse. It remained unsaid but I'm assuming it was my non-Christmas gift which he figured didn't count since it's not ACTUALLY Christmas yet. Hypocrite that I am, I loved it. It's hard to say no to a gift  but at least we've greatly reduced the process and the carnage.

It will be interesting to see how it all shakes out but right now it's a HUGE relief.

Santa Photo

Saturday after the dust settled I was ready to get out of the house so we took Grace to Bass Pro to see Santa. We got there at 5:30 and got a pass to see Santa at 7:30. We went and ate dinner then came back and waited in line...forever. Finally she shyly went up and sat on his lap and we got this free picture. I'm glad it was free because it was terrible and blurry but at least she got a chance to tell him she wanted a "real" microphone for Christmas.

I'm pretty sure she'll get one :)