Hello friends! Christmas is marching up on us fast, isn't it? We had a great service at church last night where our pastor talked about the peace advent candle and the peace that Jesus gives us. I hope you are feeling that peace in this crazy time of year!

 

The hams are coming in this week so Bill and Sam will be chopping lots of hickory wood to use for smoking the hams pretty much round the clock from here until the 24th. The bakers are gearing up with lots of nut grinding for nut rolls, apple peeling for pies and dough rolling for pan rolls and sticky buns! The cooks are cubing bread for stuffing and chopping veggies for casseroles and peeling oodles of potatoes to get ready for all the Christmas parties coming up around the countryside. The salad gal is grinding cranberries and getting used to her new deli cases! (How do you like the new deli cases? Although we weren't anxious to make that big investment, our old cases kept giving out on us so it was time!! Tell us what you think!)

 

On the farm, the fellows are working around all the mud! This time of year between beautiful fall and serene snow fall is always a muddy time on the farm! But farm life goes on, rain or shine! My Donny's heifer, Lilly Star, had a heifer calf on Thanksgiving Day! Donny was so excited he ran down to the barn as soon as Uncle Sam told him. His dad suggested he name her Luscious (her name had to start with L...and you know, Thanksgiving Day is very luscious!!), but I think he's hoping she'll be his lucky winner so he wants to name her Lucky!!

 

Yesterday, three of Mom and Dad's grandchildren got creative and scrounged around the farm for pieces of this and that. They created a funny cart with rims instead of wheels and old car cushions for riding comfort that they tie to the back of the quad and rode over the farm on it! (I watched them, and they drove very slowly and carefully, thank goodness). They tried out the corn maze and the pumpkin patch with their new creation and even ran it through the shallow creek.

 

I think that's enough for now. It's time to run out and add to the presents for Breakfast with Santa, which is sneaking up on us fast too. Santa has got to get moving with his job for my family too. Hey, have a very merry Christmas and may the hope and peace and joy and love of Jesus be all yours this season.