The snow started gradually. Then it disappeared and we had warmer temperatures again. My daffodils were coming up, nearly 2” high. Knowing it will come to stay soon, I try to keep up with outside tasks. It is nice to still be able to run water to the barn. Last Sunday was still fairly warm so I decided to make use of it and work in the mudroom. I hate trying to clean that when it is so cold! I began by tearing out the big, fat brown cabinet that held a lot of tools and junk. Tommy helped me pull it outside before he left for work. Scrubbing and cleaning the walls and floor, it was time to start rearranging and putting things back. Ken showed up for a quick visit because he was visiting others close to us. I didn’t mean to make him work, but he came at just the right time to help me tear apart that ugly cabinet. He used his circular saw and cut it up leaving only a small two door section of cabinet that I put back in the room for the toolboxes. So much better!
Then the frost came heavy. Then the snow!

It will stay this way all through Christmas week at least.

Tom and I had gone out just a few days before the storm hit and did some of our Christmas shopping. It was nearly all done in one day!

I had baked and decorated cookies that can now come out to be eaten. I am tired of having everyone ask me, so out the go to disappear! Especially the buckeyes.  I used my antique egg poaching pan to melt the chocolate.  Works great!

After church yesterday I came home to find a message I was to return on the machine. I thought the message was going to tell me to come get the goats since they had been there a few weeks. Instead, I found out that our little Oberhasli had died over the night. Diana told me Belle was eating the previous day, but yet when she went out in the morning she was dead. Poor girl. She had all those problems all summer long, and I thought maybe she was doing better. I did let her know that I was a little apprehensive about getting her bred because of how her health was. Maybe it was better this way. I didn’t want an repeat of what our Callie had to go through years back. Sometimes farm life stinks. She felt bad about it, but I told her maybe she could just keep Sister now. We had been contemplating not getting more goats when these were gone, and she knew that. She said we could still have Sister back, but she would be alone which in turn would mean getting another for a buddy and the cycle would go on. I hate to say it, but I think this is for the best right now.
Tommy had some struggles with his car, but it seems as though Ken and his buddy have figured out how to keep it running a little longer. Something about welding the muffler pipe and hot/cold sensors. Whatever. At least he can still run it. It looks good on the outside and he just had new tires put on.

Jess went in on an off day to do schoolwork in the morning, then Ken picked her up to do some shopping. She got a chance to go see her Dad tooling around on a jitney. She got a kick out of that.

The kids did the Christmas play with a cowboy type theme.  They still had the manager scene with Jessalyn as Joseph. (Far right)

I thought I would get a jump start on bread so I would have enough over a day or two of Christmas, but found that I had run out of propane just as it was ready to go in the oven. I thought it would be a good time to try crock-pot bread. You must oil the crocks very well, including the lid, set them on low for at least an hour or two depending on the crock size. I switched to hi but decided that wouldn’t be a good idea, but by then the outside crust had been overdone. The rest was o.k. Good to know in a pinch.