this, that and a happy birthday

The past week has been filled with various activities ranging from practical to fun. Coop covered the west windows with plastic to help keep the cold out, the big witch hazel bush, a gift from my lovely niece, was planted in the perfect spot to allow it to grow wild and I made another small batch of homemade soap, this one with lavender oil and oatmeal. A decision was finally made to give up the muscovies since feeding them throughout the winter is costly and our hen stopped laying quite some time ago. Coop picked up a load of nice lumber that a nearby neighbor was going to burn. This will give us a good amount to begin building a shelter or pen for a pig (or two) come spring.

In the midst of life as it comes, we were invited along on a trip to Kidron last Thursday to visit Lehman’s Hardware with our neighbors. We were game to go again! I took my camera along this time folks, so I have pictures to share yet. Will do so asap.

Friday, our daughter, son in law and their dogs came up for the night. During the course of the evening, my sister, her husband, their friend Bill, two of my nieces and my great nephew all came by for a visit. I had a houseful! It was a late evening, but an enjoyable one. The next morning our son in law made pancakes for breakfast while I baked a tray full of thick bacon slices. Tom is the official pancake maker in this family because he does them so well. When it comes to pancakes Tom’s our man!

Yesterday was Coop’s 66^th birthday. We take birthdays, anniversaries and the like all in stride as pretty much just another day with a little something special thrown in when possible. I fixed a nice dinner and invited our niece and her hubby over to share in it. It was rather like a mini Thanksgiving. I roasted an organic chicken, made a big dish of “to die for” sausage stuffing and gravy along with sweet potatoes and peas. It was all so delicious if I do say so myself and we enjoyed the food and company immensely.

Today the chicken has been cleaned from the bones and the carcass is now simmering on the stove for broth. While puttering about straightening the house, I decided to put the fall decorations away. Since I was making the trip to the upstairs closet I figured I may as well bring down the Yule decorations along with the winter coats. I don’t do a lot of seasonal decorating but have one small box of fall décor and one of Yule décor along with a 3’ fiber optic tree. I don’t always put the tree up and didn’t last year because I had several huge poinsettias given to me by my nephew. One year we just put a bunch of pine boughs in a big crockery pot and hung a pine wreath on the door. I prefer decorating with nature, but this year I decided to put the tree up for a little seasonal twinkle.

I have a basket full of pine cones I always set out and add a little greenery to it. The pine cones were gathered by Coop and I a few years ago while visiting a park…just exactly where I don’t recall now.

Of course every now and then the kewpies have to come out and play as well. : ) I realize it’s a bit early for holiday decorating, but hey, you do what you can when you can.

Later this week I’ll be baking. I’ve been in the mood to make cookies and that my friends, will make my husband very, very happy. I will be baking pies on Friday as well since I got an order for two raspberry and two cherry pies from our son in law’s coworker and friend. He also wants to purchase some of my jams as well, so I’m tickled about that as it will put an extra chunk of change in our pockets this month. That along with the goodness of everything else in life and I am feeling quite blessed by the universe.