If we were having coffee ... last coffee date of the year

This type of blog post is for when I have a lot of little things I want to share, or when I feel the need to catch up. 

So, grab your coffee/beverage of your choice. I have a cuppa of Constant Comment tea. Yum! One of these days I'll actually take a photo of myself holding a cup of coffee for these posts. ... One day. ... 

And since it's been a while,  I brought some scones. I made these yesterday, before going over to my MIL's for a visit with family.

 If we were having coffee ... I'd tell you how fast this year has gone. Seriously. I feel I was so much more busy this year that I simply didn't have the luxury of writing everything down. I know my writing was seriously lagging the last several months.  I'm mildly kicking myself now about it.  I love being able to scroll back and see what was going on.  I feel like I've been on the computer so much for work, I don't fee like being on it much once I get home, and writing down the going-ons in my life. Lately I have also had a serious dislike on for social media.  I think a lot of people have been feeling this way.

Anywho ... Life has been busy.   But I already said that. The boats have been winterized and put away. The water finally froze over.  I saw one ice fishing shack on the lake. I didn't think the ice was thick enough. But to each their own, right?   The weather finally switched from mild temps to wind blowing and sucking all the heat away from you.  We are to have snow this weekend, and cold temps.  Next week the temps are supposed to go back up into the 20s F.


 If we were having coffee ... I'd tell you Thanksgiving was a good week for us. We did butcher one of the turkeys for our dinner.  We butchered the smaller of the two males and he dressed out at 46 pounds.  Not quite as big as last year's bird, but pretty close.

 

We also butchered the female turkey, and gifted her to a couple we know. The couple was excited to have a farm fresh turkey for their thanksgiving meal. 

This week family from out of town came for a visit, and we celebrated Thanksgiving, Christmas, and a few birthdays, all in one meal. So we butchered the final turkey and he dressed out at 51 pounds.  I struggled to move him around, but I did get him in the oven all on my own.  He was slow cooked for 24 hours and came out perfect! 

I'm now in the home stretch for Christmas.  Almost everything is ready to go.  My son begged me to put the tree up on Black Friday. 

 If we were having coffee ... I'd tell you I *had* been crafting and stitching to my little hearts content the last couple months.  However, the things I made I've either given away as gifts, or the Finished Objects have been scattered around the house and/or put away.  So. .... nothing to show.  Sorry.

Currently I have no projects going.  I'm taking a bit of a break. My brain and hands are sort of at a loss right now.  I'm so used to doing *something* when I sit on the couch to watch tv in the evenings.  I am starting some sort of mental list of projects I want to work on in the coming year.

I did pull my wheel out this month (you can see my wheel in the above photo).  It was nice to spin a bit.  I forgot how relaxed I get when I'm spinning.  I found it's easier to treadle my wheel if I have it on some sort of rug.  We have carpet and my wheel sits just a bit crooked. 

 If we were having coffee ... I *had* been reading a bit. I was trying my hardest to follow the "Well-Read Mom" this year.  I sort of fell off the wagon back in October. ... I'm reading "All the Light We Cannot See," just a bit at a time. The story is good.  The writing feels tight. Its just that I haven't been able to be still and pull out the book.  It seems something is always pulling my attention away when I do try to settle in for a read. 

I just completed "A Corner of White" audiobook.  I wasn't sure what to make of the book, at first.  Then the storyline got going, and it got quite interesting.  The writing is clever, and it's a sweet story overall.  I'll most likely listen to the second book, too.  The voice actors do a wonderful job and made me believe they really were the characters whose words they were bringing life to. Boy, did that last line make sense?  I hope so.


 If we were having coffee ... I'd tell you about the chickens.  The ladies are doing well.  Those baby Brahma's I wrote about, earlier this summer ... Well, turns out we didn't get what we ordered.  We ordered 15 hens and 2 roos.  We received straight run.  Even worse (only because this is really what we didn't want) they were bantams.  So we found them new homes.

Meanwhile, we decided our Roo wasn't doing as good of a job that he could be doing.  Trey is no longer with us.  However, we were lucky enough to bring home two of his sons.  They are *so* pretty too. They take their job extremely seriously and have been a wonderful addition to the flock.

When we brought them home and introduced them to the group, the roos were accepted immediately, without questions.  It was an amazing thing to see. Maybe they had their daddy's smell. In any case, we are happy to have them.  They don't have official names yet.  I was referring to them and blackbeard and soldier boy, but I don't know if those names will stick.

We'll have a couple months before we pull out the incubators and start hatching some babies out.  The circle will continue :-)

Advent 2016

 

Today during our office meeting, my coworker, boss and I were remarking about how this year's Advent doesn't seem very hope-filled, or joy-filled. After the meeting, Mass was held in our office chapel, followed by a potluck, and craft sale.  The entire work building was filled with this wonderful holiday spirit.  People were kind to each other, and were happy.  This feeling actually started earlier in the day when one of the gals decorated the kitchen, baked a coffee cake, and set the table with nice snacks for break time.

I've tried to embrace the spirit and reason for this season, and I could be doing more to nurture it along.  However, just when I think I've got it, I see something on the Internet, someone says something, or something happens. Then I feel sad, or lose faith in humanity.  Because of this, I haven't been spending much time online, if I can help it.

 I've been trying to so hard to think of others, and have kind thoughts and considerations. Others are not having the same charitable spirit, and their actions give the perception that Christmas is just one more thing have to get through or endure.

Not only are people overlooking THE reason for the season, whether they realize it or not, they are slowly killing the holiday cheer for the people who are trying so hard to hold on to it. When I speak with others and they start bah humbugging the holiday or start complaining about doing this, or doing that, I start to feel small about all the plans and things I want/ed to do, to celebrate. Perhaps I *shouldn't* do what I want, because it might be seen as overkill, when the least amount of effort could suffice. I don't know, maybe I *shouldn't* be bothering?  But then, what kind of Christmas will my son have?  So I soldier on.

This year I participated in an ornament swap and I poured so much of myself into it, knowing the recipient would appreciate each thing I made especially for her, and each thing I purchased with her in mind. Being in the ornament swap gave me the outlet for crafting and gift-giving I seemed to desperately need, especially after the tumultuous presidential election this year.

What am I doing to ensure I get into the Christmas spirit and stay there?  Well, the Christmas music will be playing, the Christmas lights will be on, and I will probably be found in the kitchen, baking up a storm, when I'm not thinking of things to make for next year's craft sale.