First Snow, Fence Update, and A Cookie

This is what we awoke to this morning. They say we won't have a lot of accumulation since it's been warm here for the past few weeks. Personally, I think the word 'warm' is a relative term. Warm to me would be in the 70's and 80's. Warm to the weather folks around here is somewhere around 40°. So since it's been in the 40's all week, they don't expect the snow to stay on the ground for too long. This picture was taken about 8:00 this morning and since it is now already almost 11:00 and it hasn't ceased snowing yet, you can imagine the the snow has built up a bit. The grass between the barn and the house is now a carpet of white...not building up much, though. Brrrr, it's chilly out there. The temp is around 36° right now.

Yesterday was the Annual Cookie Day for the Knotwell girls. It started a few years ago when Kay and Theresa decided to get together and make Grandma's Sugar Cookie recipe they remembered from growing up. Then they added Mary to the mix. And last year they asked me to join them. Actually, I think they asked me cause they wanted to use my kitchen cause I have more room. Regardless of the reasons behind their invitation, last year was so much fun, and we made a great team! We decided to do it again this year. Below you see the main counter on the right where Theresa and Mary mixed the dough and rolled it out to place on the baking stones. On the left counter is where we dumped all the cookie cutters and where we staged some of the stones awaiting their time in the oven. You can see the oven in the back there, and a counter on the left of that with another stone staging area.

Here is the cookie cooling and separating station on the table in the morning room. Everyone brings their own tins to take their cookies home in.

Mary, on the right, and Theresa, on the left are getting ready to make up a batch of dough. Kay, barely visible on the left, there, is directing. Kay is the decorator-de-cookies and putter-inner-of the tins. I am the oven-putter-inner and taker-outer and the cookies transferrer-t0-cooling rack.

We made up a total of 40 dozen sugar cookies. Enough for each of us girls and one brother (Tom came over and helped John and our other neighbor work on the fence so we gave him some cookies to take home, too). Just an aside, I don't recommend using Splenda as a substitute for sugar in sugar cookies. The consistency gets weird and they don't taste the same at all! If you are anywhere near Piecefull Harbor in Marshfield, Missouri next year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, be sure to stop in. We might put you to work but we'll pay you with warm sugar cookies!

As far as the fencing goes, they have finished all the wire-stringing and put up the wooden barriers between the slamming posts and the barn on each side. They lost daylight or we'd have gates as well. John calculates they have another 3 hours of work to get the 3 gates done and then they are ready for livestock! Yippee!!!! I'm so darned proud of John for getting this enormous project done! Big hugs, honey!

Introducing Harvey

Ruby surprised us all by having her calf sometime last night...May I introduce to you - Harvey!

Harvey's daddy is...well, we don't exactly know who his daddy is. Ruby the Hussy must have backed up to a fence back in mid-February....Harvey is a bit on the small side but he is nursing and dry and very active. Notice his cute white 'beard'! Ruby is a wonderful mamma so we know he will be fine.

Next up, Thanksgiving dinner in preparation. Mr. Wonderful decided to smoke a turkey this year. He started out by brining it overnight in some wonderful brining spices his sister gave him last year for Christmas. This morning he drained off the brine, slathered butter all over that bird, spiced it up with all kinds of yummy spices, and set it on the smoker out in the front yard.

After he got it on the smoker, he stuffed the inside with celery and oranges and lemons, then put more lemons and oranges in the smoker pan. He alsoput soaked wood chips in the pan - hickory, apple, and cherry. By the time I get home from work, the turkey should be done and all we'll need to do tomorrow is warm it through. YUM!

Hoping you all have a peaceful, wonderful Thanksgiving. Thanks for stopping by.

Lazy Sunday

Even the dogs had a lazy Sunday! I spent most of the day in my pj's, reading the newest J.D. Robb book, Salvation in Death. My totally unprejudiced opinion is that this is another hit for Ms. Robb, aka, Nora Roberts! Lt. Eve Dallas of the NYSPD is on the job again, along with her partner, Detective Delia Peabody. I'd love to see one of these books brought to the screen, even if it's the small screen. And I know the perfect actress to place Lt. Dallas - ready?????? How about Sandra Bullock? With Pierce Brosnan playing the role of Roarke. Am not picturing anyone for the role of Peabody or even Eve's best friend, Mavis...will have to think about that for a while. Feel free to chime in with your recommendations for casting...all will be considered!

You will note that the dogs had a busy Sunday also...someone needed to make sure the carpet didn't levitate off the foundation, didn't they? Our dogs are troopers! Briscoe and Carson to the rescue!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving. John's family is coming so I need to vacuum the dog and cat hair...perhaps I should start today and I might have it done by Thursday!

Thanks for stopping by...

Fences and Neighbors

This past weekend John and two of our neighbors, worked on the fencing project. They got almost all the fenceposts up, and with only another 15 minutes of daylight, they might have finished that part of the project. Now the only thing left if to finish the fenceposts, string the barbed wire, install the fences, and bring the cows over to our property. I think John is pretty well on target when he says he will have those cows on our property by Thanksgiving weekend. And then he needs to clean out the birthing part of the barn so Miss Ruby can get used to being in there and when the time comes next month, she can have her calf in the barn where it's not quite so cold.

This section of fencing is only about 1/2 of the entire fence project. But with this part done, John can get the cows over on our property and then work on the rest of the fencing during the winter months. What an enormous project he has taken on - and what an enormous effort they have put in to make it happen. Good going, guys!

Weddings in the Air!

I was recently talking to some friends and the subject of Barbie came up...I remarked that she and Ken had been together a loooooong time. That reminded me of a beautiful crocheted wedding dress that my paternal grandmother made for my own Barbie, many, many years ago. (Do you think I can find it? NO) I wondered if there were any patterns out there for crocheted wedding dresses...the answer is YES! Not being a PWC, (person who crochets) I wasn't entirely sure why I was looking for crocheted patterns...but, one of the ladies who comes to the library regularly told me a while back that she used to crochet and was thinking about starting it again. I piped up unashamedly and told her I knew the PERFECT project for her. I even gave her the pattern I'd printed off from the internet. Judith L. came in last week and generously presented me with the most beautiful crocheted wedding dress AND veil that I've ever seen. She didn't have a pattern for the veil so she made it up! She used cream thread since this is probably Barbie and Ken's renewal of vows ceremony, don't you think? It has a crocheted attached slip as well. She added cream ribbon straps and a cream ribbon bow to the back and used the same cream ribbon on the headpiece for the veil.

I was floored! Judith said she was inspired to make one for her granddaughter and then retire from Barbie clothes! Mine was the prototype.

We have had some pretty cold daytime weather recently. The dogs spend the day outside when both John and I are at work. They never sleep on their pillows in the great room during the summer - way too hot. But come late autumn, that's another thing altogether. They spend every waking - and sleeping - moment on those pillows, probable keeping warm. Here they are on Monday afternoon after I got home from work. Sound asleep! When they aren't sleeping on the pillows, Gilligan curls up in the one on the right - a little yellow blob of kitty fur! I think I may need to make him one for himself!

Enough ramblings for today...thanks for stopping by.

I'm a Winner!

I recently participated in a drawing on Cinnamongirl93's blog (www.cinnamongirl93.blogspot.com) to celebrate her 1 year Blogaversary. She randomly drew names for prizes she was offering. Surprise! She drew my name....and this is the prize package I received in the mail! From the top and clockwise you see 101 Designer One Skein Wonders (I have wanted this book for quite some time!), Chocolate truffles, gummies, the cutest handmade card, honey sticks, and a package of teas with a tea bag 'spoonrest'. Wow! What a bounty of goodies. Thanks so much, Barb!

Have been working on Christmas presents...can't show them since some of the recipients are readers....just know that I am overacheiving, as usual and am almost to the burnout stage!

Have a great weekend. More coming soon. Thanks for stopping by.