Christmas!

We headed into my parents' on the coldest day we've had in forever.  It was -7 actual degrees (with a -30 wind chill), but we made it in fine.  We had a white Christmas, even if it was too cold for the kids to play outside for a few days.

Acorn was a big hit with everyone we saw, naturally.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

 

Gingerbread Fun

 On Sunday, Nathaniel's family came to visit.  They were treated to a mini performance:

The kids listened to Grandpa read The Night Before Christmas before opening presents.

And everyone enjoyed decorating gingerbread cookies:

I had never made gingerbread cookies before.  It turns out that I do like them, especially with a bit of cream cheese icing.

The kids weren't the only ones enjoying this activity.  Most of the adults made some, too.

And Willow and Acorn got to spend a bit of time together.

Bikes, Concerts, and Tiny Puppy

 As usual, it's a busy time of year.  We went ahead and gave Gyunay and Emry their Christmas presents early:

They have been busy riding a lot!  

We have also been treated to several performances by Malachi, including quartets and a solo.

Also, yesterday I took Malachi and Lydia to see the Nutcracker.  Lydia has a friend dancing in it, and the ballet was accompanied live by the orchestra.  It was a great performance.  Unfortunately, my foot did not agree:

Afterwards, we headed out to eat. 

And Lydia treated Acorn to a little performance at home:

Book Review - Honor's Refuge by Hallee Bridgeman

 

Honor's Refuge, by Hallee Bridgeman, is the third in a series.  I didn't read the first two, but this is a stand-alone novel, so I don't think that was a problem.  The passion of the protagonists to help victims of domestic violence was compelling.  I liked both Melissa and Phil as characters, although I thought Phil's hang-ups in not dating Melissa seemed to stretch a bit too long.  There is plenty of action in this book, and it kept me interested even though some parts strained credibility.  As a Catholic in a very active faith community, I found the characters' distinction between their church and Lola's Catholic relatives' lack of faith an eye-rolling bit on pages 236-7.  

Overall, I enjoyed this book, but several plot points seemed too far-fetched, particularly towards the end.  

I received this book from the publisher, Revell, for the purpose of writing a review, but all opinions are my own.

November Harvest Totals

 Eggs: 74

Pimento Peppers: 2

None of the chickens have laid an egg for several days now, so I don't imagine that December's totals will be very good, either.  Some of them are molting, and it is the lowest daylight point of the year, but we have always had some eggs, even now.  I'm hoping someone starts laying again soon.