Dreary Days...

Rain...drizzle...more rain...more drizzle...early darkness...

We've had several dreary days here, and I'm feeling the winter blues coming on, so...I'll think of some good things instead.

We spent time with Jim's family on Thanksgiving day.  After we all ate too much (!) the guys watched football (can we please forget how that Eagles game turned out?!) and the ladies and the dog took a walk at a nearby park. It was a gorgeous day!

My family got together on Friday.  We aren't usually all together on Thanksgiving, but my Virginia and Chicago sisters and their families made the trip this year.

We have been referred to already as "the quartet of milk maids"...

On Saturday morning, we made the trek to a  greenhouse near my parents, that has some of the most creative decorating I've ever seen.  My oldest niece had to work, so she's missing from the picture...

Time spent with both our families is a good thing!

I borrowed these pictures from my sister, who took them while on a walk early Friday morning...

I'm looking forward to the sunshine that is supposed to return tomorrow!

Happy Thanksgiving...

This morning in the barn, I had a song running through my head.  

It was written in 1890 by Amos Herr, a Lancaster County farmer and Mennonite pastor, who lived not far from where we live now.  He woke on a Sunday morning to find snow drifts too deep to get to Church with his family...even on horseback. He decided to focus on thankfulness, and wrote this song...

photo credit to my sister Peg

Here are the lyrics...

(imagine it sung acapella...beautiful four part harmony...that's the way I hear it!)

I Owe The Lord A Morning Song...by Amos Herr

I owe the Lord a morning song
Of gratitude and praise,
For the kind mercy He has shown
In length'ning out my days.

He kept me safe another night;
I see another day;
Now may His Spirit, as the light,
Direct me in His way.

Keep me from danger and from sin:
Help me Thy will to do,
So that my heart be pure within;
And I Thy goodness know.

Keep me till Thou wilt call me hence,
Where never night can be;
And save me, Lord, for Jesus' sake.
He shed His blood for me.

Amen

Here's a link to the song on youtube, if you'd like to hear it... 

The weather here today is not snowy...for which I am thankful! 

In fact, it's beautiful!  Sunny, still, temps in the mid 30's...the kids are both here...and we're planning to see lots of family today, and in the next few days that we don't often see.  We have much to be thankful for!

Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving!

Brrr...Time for the Barriers...

Brrr...I think winter's here....at least if cold and wind are any indication!

Over the weekend, we said goodbye to our mild fall, and began to batten down the hatches.  Jim cleaned out the outside pen and wooden pen one more time, and put up the plywood barriers between the outside pen and wooden pen.

The pen, which is on the cold west side of the barn, opens to the south and in the winter it acts like a channel for all the cold winds to blow right into the barn.  Water pipes can freeze...and it's a mess when that happens.

We usually wait as long as possible to put up the barriers, because the barn is better ventilated without them. When it's closed up too tightly, the heifers can pass around respiratory viruses (just like a room full of school kids!)   However...the cold weather won out this time...

The outside pen heifers can still get inside for shelter, but those barriers keep out the worst of the cold. There's also a door to the left that we pull shut to block off the entry way.  When it gets really cold, we drain the water line and fill water tubs several times a day for the outside pen heifers.  Luckily it's not nearly that cold yet!

It's just below freezing right now on this beautiful Thanksgiving day.  The sun is shining, and we'll be spending the next several days with family...eating way too much of course...but enjoying time together.  The gourmet potatoes are in the oven, and we're working up our appetites for a feast.

Wherever you are...and however cold...or warm...you are, I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Linking to Alphabe-Thursday

My Thankful List...

I think I would have to say that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday...if only it lasted longer than one day!  Sometimes I think it actually gets forgotten...no sooner do the fall decorations start to show up, than they are replaced by Christmas ones.  That bugs me!!

But no matter what I see when I drive past the outlets, or no matter what songs I hear on the radio...I can still be thankful as often as I'd like!  Here are just a few things on my thankful list...

I am thankful for...

...a hubby who loves me (us)...who enjoys the simple things in life and the value of hard work.

...our kiddos...both teenagers now who might not like to be called "kiddos" but I'm their Mom, so I'll call them that as long as I want to!

...healthy bodies that can heal.  After a freak incident in the barn that left me with a slightly separated shoulder and very sore muscles for almost two weeks, today I can say that I feel almost 100% again!

...my food co-op friends.  Two nights a week, I don't have to think about what to make for supper.  Loving this!

...our Church family...listening...learning...being real...working hard together

...our two teenage neighbor boys who spent thirteen (yes, thirteen) hours raking leaves and cleaning up the yard at our rental property (without complaint...at least not to me!!)

...dogs that don't roam the neighborhood (although they do dig holes all over the yard)

...a hot shower

...our kids' friends

...that I mowed the yard today for the last time in 2012, at least I hope so!

...that our kids enjoy being with their cousins...all of them!

...warm, soft, playful, sweet kitties that have good motors in them

...that our families both live (mostly) nearby

...gourmet cheese potatoes (can you tell what I'm making for our feast tomorrow?)

And the list goes on...and on...too many things to mention...some of them seem a little silly...but there's no better time to think of all the things we have to be thankful for.  Every day.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

What are some of the things you are thankful for?

Our Thanksgiving Feast...

Oh my...I don't think I need to eat for a while, after this week and all the feasting that took place!

On Thursday, we spent the day with Jim's family.  Our brother in law cooked a tasty, moist turkey breast, and of course we had all the fixings to go along with it.  We had leftovers for supper, and then spent the next couple of days doing yard work to get rid of all those delightful calories!

Today we had our second Thanksgiving feast, this time with my side of the family.  My sister and I always take our cameras and get a little bit carried away, and this year was no different!

Here's the gang getting ready to eat.  (this is only half of our family...two of my sisters live out of state and weren't able to be here)   We made the taste buds wait just  a few more minutes while we snapped away...

I told you we ate well...
 

The cook...
 

The guys, making fun of their mothers with the cameras.  They're trying to get the "perfect" photo of the butter dish...
 

After lunch, the guys retired to the basement to sleep watch some football...
 

After a while they ventured outside.  Creatively shooting some hoops...
 

Sighting up the guns for hunting season...
 

And then they played some football  (You'll just have to take my word for it) ...while Grandma and the girls made candles...
 

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday!  I am so thankful that we have families that enjoy being together.  The kids are so happy to be with their cousins on both sides of the family...they just wish their out of state cousins lived closer!

The cows have been milked and tucked in for the night, so now I guess we'll settle in for the evening in our warm house with our contentedly full bellies to watch some more football and try to come up with some creative ways to burn all those extra calories the next couple of days!

Hope your Thanksgiving was a happy one!