Sammie and the Nativity Scene

well, last night was such fun...it was cold but next to the stove actually warmed up nicely!
unfortunately, the doll who played the part of baby Jesus often found himself out of his manger and under the hay =)
sammie the sheep was way too curious....

Crawford Christmas Parade

yesterday morning, jack and josh were a part of the funniest, quaintest and sweetest parade i've seen.
all the volunteer fire stations around attended and then a handful of folks with old cars and a couple 4 wheelers...and the athens transit bus...it was a hoot.
the idea was to throw candy out to the kids waiting on the side of the road...
it was
COLD...really really bitterly cold....
but there were kids just waiting so excitedly and the part that was so beautiful is that it went through the poorer part of town i suppose you could say...
and all the little homes were so wildly decorated and all the kids, though freezing cold, were jubilant!!!
esme and i drove down the road to see it and totally missed it coming by...we watched it in the distance =)
so we then raced to the end and watched it from there....
jack got to ride in the front and thought he was BIG stuff....so cute....

the Christmas tree search team

what a beautiful day it was yesterday!!!!!!

josh went to change out the belts on monica's truck and the kids and i ...and sammie and harry set off into the woods in search of a christmas tree

we didnt' get too far though

esme wanted to "poopie!"

and then wanted her "pribacy" her privacy...which she says very adamantly to tell you off....then smiles bc she doesn't actually want you to go anywhere =)

we spent most of our time watching jack cut off random limbs and hack at poor little trees which might not have a whole lot of blossoms come springtime. =)

we didnt' find a suitable one ...

alas....we'll go out again today!

Christmas tree search team

i tried to post this a couple days ago...to no avail...the actual writing is a couple posts down and here are the photos!

josh working hard

ok....
so i can't help it!
i want to take pictures of everything!!!!
this camera is so much fun!
somehow the faces in them look even more real that real life!

Star of Bethlehem

tonight, harry and i made a star for the nativity =)
hillary sooooo wonderfully came over today and washed all the windows in the cob...it actually is looking like a real house....(if you stand far enough away from the walls and look at it squinty)
i am so excited about sat night....
we have another guitarist on board! and jessica forbes is singing a solo ....her voice is AMAZING.
i made a little area for sammie tonight and in amongst all the hay, it really felt very much like a barn...with animals...and i couldn't even imagine giving birth!

Square toilet rolls?

no, this is not like the watermelon fling...
remember those square melons they "came out with" to fit in the fridge better???
anywho...we left a package of loo rolls in the back of the truck during the flood a couple days ago...and then forgot about them...
so i pulled them in today and am drying them out on the heaters =)

eggs! i have many eggs for you katie!

esme and harry...willing subjects...this is before i used the flash =)

GIDDY

i haven't been giddy in a long time....
i get excited a lot and happy most of the time really...
but giddy!!!!
out of the absolute blue, our friends mark and joi sent us this camera....
this is the camera that took our wedding photos (i think!)
and if you want to see mark's work it is on the "blogs i read" it is like looking at a wedding magazine...only better...
this is by far the most amazing camera i have ever held and i just don't want to take it off! ha!
it is going to take me a while to figure it out....i am inordinately glad he sent the how-to book with it...
i spent this evening, figuring out the flash and taking photos of harry and the toilet rolls...
and i have a sneaking suspicion that pretty much i could be photoing chicken poop and it is going to look wonderful =)
this camera is incredible!!!!!
thank you mark! thank you thank you thank you!!!!!!!!!

chickens on the run after jack...

and the absence of trees...
the chickens like to follow us around....down the road, around the house...and sometimes even into the woods a bit when we go on walks...but definitely when jack in on his tractor...they swarm =)

josh cut down the 2 big pine trees on the side of our house....it lets in more light...that north side can be dark...

getting the cob all ready for the nativity

we haven't yet heated the stove WITH the doors on...there are still lots of cracks that air can escape but i am hoping we'll all be nice and warm on sat night!
yay!

Plastering and decorating

well, i have almost finished the first coat of plaster....it is quite rough but you can sort of start to imagine what it will look like!
the kids and i have been decorating with the pine tree josh cut down and holly berries....
and josh helped string lights and put up the doors ...yay!
hillary is coming this morning to help me wash windows....
HUGE job...for which i am sooo grateful for her help!
and last night i found a great eggnog recipe....and we sure have a lot of eggs !

more Christmas tree shopping...