December 30, 2006

I hope everyone had a good Christmas. We did. Grandpap arrived Friday Morning. We decided to celebrate Christmas early. It worked better for our schedules. Asa had to go back to work on Tuesday so we decided to make Christmas Eve Saturday Night and Christmas Day Sunday so that Asa could have an extra day to play with the girls and all of their new toys. It was fun and it worked out well.

The girls were so excited Christmas Eve and they had a great time Christmas Morning opening all of the presents. We took a several breaks so the girls could recoupe their energy and refocus back to unwrapping presents. In the afternoon on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Asa, Grandpap and I worked out in the hay barn while Grandma gave QT a nap. AR was in the barn with us too climbing on all of the bales and playing with Woody. They were having a good time.

My parents arrived on Tuesday and it was like having Christmas all over again. The girls loved it. Although QT was so tired she didnt always cooperate. While my parents were here my dad helped Asa fix the tractor. Appearently you need Hydrolic Fluid to help move the components of the tractor. Ours were so low it took twenty gallons before it registered and started to work. OOPS. We will remember to check that from now on. Who knew it could hold 64quarts of fluid.

Yesterday I opened the door to the goat barn and saw several rats scurry away. One even stood up and stared me down. It didnt run away until AR came into the barn. They arent as ugly as I thought they would be but none the less we dont want them around. It has gotten cold so they are all coming into the barn now. The goats were out fields so they were left to clean up any food they had left.

Today it snowed about three inches. The girls had a blast doing chores outside with Grandpap in the snow. They were making snow angels. Everytime QT fell down she couldnt get up on her own. My parents left yesterday, just in time to miss the snow. We werent sure why they left so early. Either my dad was worried about my brother being sick and work or he was freezing to death and couldnt stand another day in a cold house. He is use to keeping his house between 74 and 80 degrees. Yikes that is hot for us. Our house is drafty but comfortable.

We Celebrated Grandpap's Birthday on Christmas Day. The real Christmas Day. However he only got a cake and he still cooked breakfast. He turned 60 this year.

Overall it has been pretty quiet around the farm. Nothing too exciting. Woody had a run in with a porcupine and has quills in his nose. This happened this morning. I need to wait until Asa gets home from work in order to get them out. I tried to pull them out by hand but they werent coming out. I called two different vets and they both said we will have to use plyers and yank them out. They said it will hurt. Poor Woody. I bet he wont bother a porcupine again.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Happy Winter Soltice

It has been a week since I wrote in my blog. I am sorry. Asa and I went to Montreal and I have been struggling getting ready for Christmas. I have been up late every night wrapping presents. I have been fighting off a migraine until yesterday it took control. Luckily Grandma was here to watch the kids. Once I threw up I was better. Asa is off Until Tuesday and we plan on working on the goats tomorrow. Grandpap flies in tomorrow morning. AR is had her Christmas party at school today and came home with more treats than Halloween. She is so excited for Christmas and Santa she couldnt even fall a sleep tonight. I cant imagine what it will be like Christmas Eve.

I will write later to tell you about our trip to Montreal. I may not get a chance to write until after Christmas.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Tuesday

Asa has the next five days off and we were going to go away for the full five days but with so much to do around the farm and Grandpap here to help we decided to only go for a few days. Today we worked on more fencing and we just getting started and we ran out of wire for the electric fence. It looked like there was more on the spool. We had hope to get the next paddock area completed for the goats today but having to run to Agway for more supplies killed our momentum. We hope to finish by 11am tomorrow so that we can make a goat auction in Govenour by Noon. Our momentum was also altered by the oil man showing up, people coming for Hay and AR peeing her pants 2x because she was having too much fun outside with us to stop and go to the bathroom. Oh but I did forget to mention the 10 trips back to the garage to get something else we needed. It was nice the one day we had our truck. We put everything we could think we would need in it so we didnt have to make the millions of trips back to the barn. There is too much to carry in one trip so you try to pack as much as you think you will need and hope for the best.

I cant remember if I mentioned we now have a truck. Grandma bought it in PA. It is very nice. However it is broke at the moment. Asa went to go to work yesterday and it quit. It was the fuel pump and it is getting fixed. We should have it in the next couple of days.

Yesterday I ripped out the carpet between the bathroom and the blue room. The carpet was orange shag which was very shag less. The pad was in better shape than I thought it would be but there was still pee stains from cats ( I assume). It smelt before like cat but we tried to mask the odor but now it is even worse. The original flooring (five inch tongue and grove plank boards) were covered up by plywood. This area is where the floor sagged the most so we think the original floor was rotted? Where the orange carpet connected to the much older and more used blue carpet was interesting. The pad that ripped away from under the blue carpet disintegrated. A quick peek under the blue carpet revealed years and years of dirt or cow manure which had worked its way through the carpet. It smelt terrible. I am sure the previous owners didn't take off there shoes when they came in from the milk barn. It made me want to pull up the carpets every where and clean the bare floors underneath and put remnants down as a quick fix.

Asa and Grandpap had gone to Lowe's last night and they took AR with them. QT was home with me and Grandma. I was pulling up the tack board along the walls with a little crow bar. QT took the biggest one we had and was laying on her belly trying to maneuver the tool. It was so cute this little girl so interested in what I was doing and trying to help with this great big crow bar. She was really in the way but I just tried to work around her. It was too cute.

Asa and Grandpap on the way to Lowe's hit a coyote on highway 81 going about 65 mph. The coyote didn't live and our van survived fair. Asa said there was a dent in the bumper but I didn't notice it.

Grandpap flew out of Las Vegas on Friday and got off the plane in Pittsberg to drive to NY with Grandma on Sat. The weather in Watertown has been snowy but not here in Redwood. The girls were very excited to see Grandpap and Grandma. Saturday night after dinner we all went to the Blue Living room for dance time. The girls have pretend stages and dance and run around while I dj for them. They have a great time.

Sunday afternoon we went to WalMart shopping while Asa hunted. It was the last day of hunting season for the year. He was sad when he didnt get to shoot any deer this year. His first deer still alludes him.

Monday, AR went to dance class with Grandpap and Grandma while QT took a nap at home and I tore up the rug by the bathroom. I thought it would help get rid of the cat urine smell.

Here is another picture of the goats at play.

Last night we went to town and couldnt believe all the snow they had. This morning when we woke up it was snowing here. We are suppose to get more but it has slowed for the time. Lake effect snow is suppose to occur sometime between 6pm tonight and 1pm tomorrow. We seem to be in a pocket where we dont get hit with every lake effect snow unlike Syracuse and Watertown.

When I took this picture I was only trying to get the one goat facing us. When I was down loading the picture I thought this was funny. A front and rear shot all in one and I wasnt even trying.

AR and I were out in town yesterday evening, she said "Wow mom some people are really getting ready for Christmas, doesnt it look nice" I said "yes it does". She then said "unlike us, we are slow". I told her its because most of our stuff is still in boxes from moving. I guess I better get busy trying to find our Christmas decorations. At the end of this month we will have lived at the farm for 6 months. We have accomplished some of our goals but we have soooooooooo much more to do. Overall we enjoy being here. I know AR still misses her friends in CO but then again so do I. Our house in Colorado is final. We closed on Nov 27.

Grandma should be back on Thursday and Grandpap is flying in on Friday. He will be hear for a week while Asa and I go away for our Anniversary. We cant believe it has been 10 years.

Today the girls and I went to breakfast with Santa at Bonnie's Castle Resort. It was very nice. AR got her picture with Santa and made reindeer antlers. QT wasnt feeling well so she mostly heeped on the floor the whole time. AR saw lots of kids from preschool, she liked that. It was a nice time.

The only thing new is the weather. We had almost two inches of rain in 24hrs. We were on an ice storm watch but that has been removed. Now we have a high wind advisory until Late Sat Night. It sure is whipping out there. It makes this old farm house quite drafty.

Today AR and I made wrapping paper. We took just plain brown paper and painted it with stamps. She had a good time with it. Poor QT still isnt feeling well.