Well, he did it again!  2 more!!! ~~Way to go~~

Limit here is 6 deer so he's already half done.  If he gets anymore I think we'll give them away.  He's still hoping for a big rack to put on the wall though!

Hi everyone.  Dh and I are finally back home.  I think the last two days of driving wore both of us out, but we really had a good time with my family and his daughter and her family. 

I visited my two sisters the second day of our travel and before we left for Virginia.  We were with my Mom for three days too.  The night before we left she gave me two aprons.  One was made by Nana, (dads mother) and the other one was made by her.  I was really happy when she gave them to me.  She also gave me the cookie jar that was has had for many years.  I wasn't expecting that at all.  I was able to visit her four children too.  They are all married and have children of their own and a few grandchildren too.  We finally had to leave and went to Dh's daughters home in Virginia.  She made the turkey for us on Thanksgiving Day along with mashed potatoes, vegetables, and rolls.  Her daughter and son made 3 pies and cookies too.  Dora also had some friends over with their two children.  They also brought some food too.  We all had a good time together.

Our granddaughter likes to sew, knit and croquet.  I gave her one of my dishcloths I have knitted and showed her how to make it and she she croqueted  a little purse for me and showed me also how to make it.  I told her I would send her some information I found on the internet that she could read and learn how to make different things. 

Finally we had to leave and come home.  It took us about 15 hours and two days of driving.  I know we need to visit his family too because of their health but we need to stay home for awhile before we leave again. 

 I'll talk to all of you later.  Have a good nite.  Jeanne

ALEXANDRIA, Pa. - The Rev. George M. Docherty, credited with helping to push Congress to insert the phrase "under God" into the Pledge of Allegiance, has died at 97.

Docherty died on Thanksgiving at his home in central Pennsylvania, according to his wife, Sue Docherty.

She said her husband of 36 years had been in failing health for about three years.

"George said he was going to live to be a hundred and he was determined," she said in a telephone interview Saturday. "It's amazing that he was with us this long."

Docherty, then pastor of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, just blocks from the White House, gave a sermon in 1952 saying the pledge should acknowledge God.

He was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and was unfamiliar with the pledge until he heard it recited by his 7-year-old son, Garth.

"I didn't know that the Pledge of Allegiance was, and he recited it, 'one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all,'" he recalled in an interview with The Associated Press in 2004. "I came from Scotland, where we said 'God save our gracious queen,' 'God save our gracious king.' Here was the Pledge of Allegiance, and God wasn't in it at all."

There was little effect from that initial sermon, but he delivered it again on Feb. 7, 1954, after learning that President Dwight Eisenhower would be at the church.

The next day, Rep. Charles G. Oakman, R-Mich., introduced a bill to add the phrase "under God" to the pledge, and a companion bill was introduced in the Senate. Eisenhower signed the law on Flag Day that year.

Just little flakes then this by 7pm tonight. If it didn't get dark so early it wouldn't be so bad!! I would never make it living farther north!! I would go crazy from cabin fever! LOL
SO anyway we got out to get ready for the cold have the well house all insulated and ready. Then we move on to putting out hay..... Tractor's Block heater wasn't working!! the tractor wouldn't start! So we go to get the part(by now its dark!) and its a Special Order!!! Soooooo We did something I do NOT recommend except in Dire circumstances... We hooked come-alongs and chains and pulled one very Large hay bale off of the top of the stack and rolled it ever so gracefully into the back of the truck! It tipped and went sideways!!! But it was in there ! Then we took it to the barn and pulled it out of the back of the truck the same way pretty much. The goats and sheep have hay and I threw some to the cows and their babies as they were staring at me through the panel looking soooo Hungry!

We got all the animals settled and I am now 50lbs lighter then when I went outside... Nope not a new diet just shed the clothes to keep me from freezing!! To go out and keep everything tolerable it takes a fair amount of clothing. We all have rubber boots. The girls don't have the insulated ones because they are still growing and wear insulated socks with them. Then we have leggings and then sweat pants and a skirt over it all. It blocks the wind. Then we have a long sleeved shirt and usually a hoodie plus a hat. With something to cover our chins. About the only thing you can see of our face is our eyes and nose and we cover our noses sometimes when its real cold.. Then we have a coat to cover it all. I usually wear latex gloves under my work gloves to keep my hands from getting wet because that makes me cold quicker then anything. I also make sure I put lotion or something on my face before I go out too. Because I get wind burn so easy!! SO its layers up on layers!!! Hence the 50lbs!LOL It takes about 20 minutes just to get ready to go out. Okay I will quit whining about it now and post a pic of our older dogs!

They are kind of camera shy! I have to turn it on behind me and then take their pic. If they see me turn it on they get up and walk away which is exactly what they are doing in this pic!!! Sam is the first one and Dinah is behind the gate. She still looks a little rough due to the trimming she had. The little ones are cute and have lots of personality! I think they will be good dogs!

Good Night Everyone!!

Advent is a term from the Latin word "adventus" which means "arrival".  It is a time of waiting for the arrival of Christmas, the coming of Jesus to earth when he was born as a baby at Bethlehem about two thousand years ago.

Advent is the new year of the Christian Church and the church season that leads to Christmas Day.  Advent is the time when Christians remember that Jesus came into the world 2000 pears ago and that Jesus also promised one day to return in all His glory.

I'm not sure where this year has gone, it seems like only yesterday that we brought out our Advent wreath and lit the first candle.  And here we are one year later....so much to be thankful for.  And now the anticipation of Christmas.  This is one of the most exciting times for our family...we enjoy all our usual traditions and the preparation leading up to Christmas Eve is an especially wonderful time.  

I would like to hear how each of you begin to prepare for Christmas...and what do you do for each Sunday of Advent? 

I finally got around to baking my Christmas Cake today.

It actually doesn't take long to put together, although it takes 3 hours to bake in the oven. The house smells of a delicious mix of fruit and spice right now as it cooks.

I think I am yet to meet an American who likes fruit cake, but it is very traditional here in New Zealand. We use it for wedding cakes, special anniversary cakes and the good old Christmas cake. It gets iced with Royal Icing, and in my family we like to top the royal icing with butter icing. I believe Christmas Cake can be made months ahead of Christmas and the longer it has to age, the better, but so far I have never been organized enough to do it well in advance.

This particular cake is the non-alcoholic version. Some recipes call for brandy in the cake, but this one doesn't. The recipe comes from Alison Holst - a famous-in-New-Zealand chef who is known for her good, practical, yummy and never fail recipes.  We housewives love her!

This photo shows the fruit ingredients before the flour and egg and spice mixture is added.

And here is the cake fresh out of the oven.

And this is a picture of a Christmas Cake all decked out in its finery.

Some people prefer Christmas Cake uniced with a fruit and nut glaze. They are just as yummy too, and look just as beautiful. This picture is from the BBC Good Food website.

If anyone wants the recipe, just leave me a message and I'll send it to you.