Christmas Update

It's been quite awhile since I've taken time to post - or even write in my personal journal. The last week has been busy but overall good. Recapping will be a challenge so I'm sure I will ramble but guess that fits the name of this blog well.

The last couple of days before Christmas were spent busily baking as we had the family Christmas gathering slated to be here. We also had Jessie and her family here staying with us - our first overnight guests in our "new" house. The multiple couches were all used and I think most slept comfortably. Christmas day was full of rather mixed emotions. We had a nice breakfast - Squirrel made monkey bread and I had got an overnight egg casserole in the fridge to be baked in the morning. Both turned out well and there was leftovers. We opened gifts after breakfast - the three boys were thrilled with their new MP3 players. They spent a good part of the next couple of days figuring out how to get music on them. Then it was time to get the hams in the oven to have them ready for dinner (lunch) and get ready for company. Pretty soon most of the entire extended family - except for B's brother N and his family - descended on the house for most of the rest of the day. We did a buffet meal - ham, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy, clementines, rolls and butter, pecan pie, fudge, cookies, a veggie plate...it really turned out delicious though I forgot to get peas and corn fixed. Oh yes - we did have corn casserole as well. After food and visiting there was more gifts to open followed by more visiting. Squirrel played carols on the piano and then there was much Wii playing. (Jessie's family had brought theirs along). I even got on the 4-wheeler and did donuts on the ice in the field outside the house (as a passenger). That was fun - unfortunately the camera died about that time so don't think I have any pictures.

I found out shortly before everyone arrived that Mike's grandma had passed away very early that morning. While I knew she had been sick it was only the night before that I'd found out that she was declining rapidly and would be gone soon. I did spend some time sitting in a quiet place with a cup of coffee - wished I could journal then but there was not the time.

Christmas Day and the day afterwards were bitterly cold - with lots of ice on roads and surfaces. Friday night temperatures finally warmed and yesterday morning snow was almost melted. We had temperatures in the 60's during the day yesterday - grey, gloomy scenes though as the sun never really came out. We had heavy rain and thunderstorms late in the day. Jessie and family left yesterday around noon and we went to attempt to move the chicken coop up here afterwards. It was quite a chore as far as I was concerned - B's skidloader forks were not quite long enough to completely lift the building. Eventually we did get it loaded onto the trailer, chained down and moved. Unloading it was not as difficult though it is still not in it's final home as the yard was far too muddy. Overnight there was a great deal of strong howling wind and the temperature has dropped 30 degrees - the ground is beginning to refreeze.

O.k...guess I've rambled enough...am attempting to take things easy today. I need to send some emails and want to get some stuff put away this afternoon. We will see what happens. I also want to attempt again to get pictures down-loaded onto this computer.