Snowing!!!!!

It is warmer...it is snowing. Cars are moving very slow. It was 18 this morning when we got up. Julie has some questions about the holidays that I will answer.
1. I started shopping early this year, so I am really done.
2. We have the family Christmas eve gathering. We call it finding the Treasure box. In the box is chocolate candies, and the box is big. Arney hides it on our farm, and has to do all kinds of tricky things so they will not follow his snow prints. Then during the evening the kids and grandkids get ready with flashlights and their own idea of what way they will go first...the family that finds the Treasure will have candy for along time. It has become a discussion at Thanksgiving as to how this will be found, and who will find it.
3. I do not do black Friday.
4. We get our Christmas tree about a week before Christmas.
5. We haven't traveled for Christmas for about 15 years. We have family here.
6. We used to have our own steers on our farm, we raised 3 each year. Sold two and one was for our families. Arney had asked for a large prime rib when he had the steer packaged. So it was Christmas morning and when we opened the package it was the heart of the steer....no we did not eat it. I did not think it was funny, but my kids thought it was.
7. My new favorite is "The Family Stone." But for a laugh we love "Christmas story."
8. I love to Bake for Christmas...I do not do a lot of baking during the year.
9. We had a fake Tree for a few early years, but we missed the smell of the tree, so we get a real one.
10. I get a little nerves about what I bought or made for someone about a week before Christmas.
11. I wrap before Christmas eve since this is when we give our gift to our family. But when my kids were little we would stay up almost all night wrapping for Christmas morning...putting all those toys together...Yikes!!!!
12. Christmas Eve is our special gathering. We rest on Christmas day.
13. Since I decorate the tree with candies, cookies, foodies....I love making little bags of all kinds to fill for the tree. It is fun.
14. I really like most of the Christmas songs, even some of the funny ones.
15. I will probably have that last second run to the store, I will have forgot something.
Thank You Julie, this was fun.

Still in the freezer! A little up-date on our condition.

Thought I would just continue yesterdays blog today. We woke this morning with no water...yep it was our turn. We have our own well, and you always fear that the pump may have died. So Arney got on the phone after seeing that we had no pressure on the pump. Looking at no less than a thousand dollars was floating in our heads....yikes!!! But since we have had business with the guy before, he had Arney do a few things and it started working like a dream. It was 5 below when we got up this morning, and with a little wind, the chill factor was really down there. Just another day in the freezer. The weather man says we should get snow this weekend, which means it could warm up. Heat wave! I continue to work on things for Christmas... The Chicken and dumpling were really good...so with my Trevor down and in pain, I made more for him and his wife Terri. Arney took it to him on the way to get some heat tape and some other things that we needed. Trevor loves my soups. He hasn't been eating, but he ate Mom's soup!
I am working on Merry and Bright:(

Thomas Kinkade

I thought these were lovely....I have chicken and dumplings simmering on the stove...it is a favorite of our in the winter. It was 4 below this morning, and our high was 16, I sound like a weather person. The sanders are doing their job, so we are better than we were. I have managed to drive here in town, but would not go on the freeway.

We started our day with our daughter Jenny calling for some advice from her Dad, "the pipes are frozen, what should we do. Arney told Doug and Jenny what to do and waited to see if it worked...all was well.

It has been a hard couple of days because our oldest son Trevor broke his ankle, both bones. He is waiting for surgery, they want the swelling to go down. He and his wife Terri went to a concert, somehow Trevor rolled his foot and soon was in the ER. He is in a lot of pain. Not a good way to bring in Christmas. So we pray that this will all be over soon, and he will be getting well.

So our HO HO on hold till we see that all is well for him.

Love, Mary

Cold!

It is cold!!!!! We have a fire in the wood burner to help with the chill. It was 3 below this morning. My trip to the market was slow yesterday...lots of ice on the roads and this is only the beginning. There was lots of finder benders on the freeway. Today they seem to understand that there is black ice on the roads. We have had some warmer winters the last few years here in Nampa, but I am thinking this will not be one of them. Baxter or cat has decided that the last thing he wants to do is go outside. Mattie Anne is our snow dog, she loves to get her nose into the snow. Now then there is LB, he goes out does what he must and right back in, he does not like all that white cold stuff that covers the ground. It's like this...what have you done to my yard? fix it!!! Today I am off to Body Works....no not to get my body fixed, although it needs a left! I am going to buy all that fun stuff girls just love, lotion, lip gloss, things that smell really good. I will be careful, and you all do the same. Have a great day....Hugs, Mary

Let it snow!

Well the snow day came....we woke this morning to all white. Just about 2 inches, enough to be dangerous on the roads. It will be 9 degree's tonight, and the high today is 27 so there is a lot of ice. And I am going shopping in a few minutes...Yikes! This is our Maple Tree in the front yard.

This is our front yard from my door.

Swishing through the snow!!!!!