Wednesday, February 27, 2008

A Blessed Season - A Peacefilled New Year

Ever have one of those days when things just won't go how you want them to. Christmas pictures is something I look forward to and this year was no exception. It is a challenge in itself to get the children all smiling or looking at the camera but throw in the horses and it spells disaster. Have you ever tried to get a horse to smile!


The day was off to a fine start. It was warm and all the horses were brushed and the children dressed; everyone was clean and free of mud...all six of them. I knew I had to work fast because mud comes easy around the farm.


I hung the garland and wreaths which peaked the interest of the horses. Rosie and Dollie would not leave it alone. They kept pulling it off the posts. I called everyone over... Hannah, Daniel and Jonathan were still clean but Rosie had already rolled. She got another quick brush and then it was time to snap some photos. A large dark cloud appeared over the horizon and we got blasted with a cold front. This frighted Jonathan and stirred up the horses. I called all the horses close with the use of grain and peppermints and the children were positioned on the fence. Jonathan started to cry because the horses started to fight over the grain. Lady, the boss, was biting at everyone because she did not want anyone to have her peppermints. Dollie finally just walked away - she had enough and Rosie just stayed close enough to antagonize Lady. Lady would come up to the fence then quickly pin her ears back and leave to chase Rosie away... Thank goodness Rosie was on the other side of the fence. So if you are wondering why Lady is the only horse in the photo now you know the story. Halters and leads may have worked but we had none on hand that were clean... again the mud thing.


We found a lovely tree this year and something out the of ordinary for us. Usually we settle on a Frazier fir - uniform, even and tidy. We arrived at the Christmas tree stand and realized our tastes had changed. We all fell in love with the soft free flowing form of the Douglas Fir. It was such a special tree and fit into our informal country setting. It glowed with radiance and the children would sit by it every minute they could get to view its splendor.


We had wonderful times of sharing and laughing. Grandma and Grammy and Pop Pop all visited before Christmas. Christmas day was quiet - just the five of us.! It is too far to travel to be with other family members and we prefer to stay home for the holidays. We spent the day sharing, cooking and eating Delicious wholesome food. By the end of the day we were overflowing with the love and joy of the season and blessed with a sunset that left our hearts on fire. Hope you have a blessed year full of peace and joy!































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