Happenings on the Homestead in the Appalachian Mountains

Weekend Coffee Share

 

Hello there Adventurous Friends & Family, greetings from Georgia. How you doing this 52nd & final week of 2023? On Christmas day it rained all day with temperatures in the mid 50s. There were reports of power outages in our area due to the wind, but we never lost power. Our Christmas supper was squirrel dumplings & sweet tea along with classic no-bake cookies that I threw together last minute. We spent the day relaxing, eating, watching Christmas movies & registering a boat.  Yeap, Kevin got us a boat for Christmas. Grab a coffee or your favorite beverage & I'll tell you about the 2 surprises we got for Christmas. Rumor has it that we're supposed to get a BIG snow over the weekend, one compared to the Blizzard of 93, so I'll fill you in on that next week, come walk with me...

A before picture of the boat. Kevin is working
 on doing some revamping. We brought the
boat home then went straight to Walmart's 
boat accessories department. The new
 seats are already in place.

 

Rose checking out the boat.
"Wonder what's in there."

*  Our 2 Christmas surprises....

We're expecting our 10th Grandbaby in June.

We're expecting our 1st Great-Grandbaby in August.

Kevin is very pleased with the
colors of eggs we're getting.  He
choose the varieties of chickens
on purpose to get all these different
 colors of eggs...blue, green, cream, 
brown.

These are some of the things going on in my neck of the woods, how has your week been?

The things I ordered for the new Grands
arrived, the babies are going to love these.
Kevin has plenty of time to put them together.

Happenings on the Homestead in the Appalachian Mountains

Weekend Coffee Share

 Hello there Adventurous Friends & Family, greetings from Georgia. How you doing this 51th week of 2023? I participated in a Secret Santa Sister group, I got coffee & pretzels for a Christmas present. Daughter's family came over for Christmas. Grab a coffee or your favorite beverage & I'll tell you more about our Christmas event, come walk with me...

*  Me & Kevin hosted a Christmas hotdog roast dinner party for Daughter's family.  There was also bear ribs & antelope. The youngest Grands changed into adorable comfortable looking matching pajamas. While putting the finishing touches on the food, the kids hunted for candy canes & watched bits & pieces of Kevin's favorite Christmas movie, The Christmas Story. The one about the bb gun. There was a snow shoveling competition & the Grands told their knowledge of the birth of Jesus. The main event, of course, was opening Christmas presents.

The finder of lots of candy canes.
Daughter ready to try some bear meat.

  

Putting the finishing touches
on the bear ribs.

Snow shoveling competition. 

I got new pictures of the Grands
for my frames.

Kevin got 22 shells.

We got a new picnic basket.

 

Christmas Lily Elf says
"Merry Christmas to all, 
see you again next year."

Opening presents.

Girlfriend & Grand

Girlfriend & Grand

  

These are some of the things that's been going on in my neck of the woods, how has your week been?

Happenings on the Homestead in the Appalachian Mountains

Weekend Coffee Share

Hello there Adventurous Friends & Family, greetings from Georgia. How you doing this 50th week of 2023?  I've battled a nasty cold & cough this week.  Daughter & Coworkers had to be out of work due to their's turning into the nastier flu & sinus infections that required antibiotics. I might have to too before it's all over & done with. Kevin & I had a nice Christmas dinner with Kevin's work crew & their plus 1s. I had the best strawberry cake I think I've ever ate. I had a sleepover with Grands & we did some Christmassy things. Kevin framed a Christmas picture for me & cut boards to go over the sink & stove to make more serving space in our small kitchen for our upcoming Christmas with Daughter's family.  Grab a coffee or your favorite beverage & I'll tell you a few more details, come walk with me...

I devoured lots of Christmas treats with Coworkers
this week, that were gifted from Customers.

*  I spent the night with Grands while their parents went Christmas shopping.  We watched Christmas movies including Miracle on 34th Street. I believe! We made Christmas fudge. We made Christmas tree ornaments. We picked up items to make a Christmas greenery bouquet while walking to the mailbox to retrieve a Christmas card.  

We made snowflake & snowman Christmas tree ornaments.

Christmas Lily Elf & Christmas
Elfis Elf came prepared for a
Christmas movie night
sleepover.

 

3 ingredient no fail Christmas fudge - a bag
of semi-sweet chocolate chips, 1 can condensed
 milk, a teaspoon of vanilla. Heat chips & milk till 
melted, mix in vanilla.  It makes an 8X8 pan, no
boiling needed, nuts of choice are optional.

One of the them suggested they go outside to play on the trampoline with the
water hose. Me thinking in a flash that it was 40 something degrees out there.
 They settled for having milk & gingerbread debbie cakes instead.

Happy Birthday to Grand McClain.
I went to his party at the pizza place.
I ate a tasty salad & got my fill of
 pizza from the buffet, including the
chocolate chip dessert pizza. Those
 tickets helped get lots of whoppie
cushions for all that wanted one.

 

 

I got my 4th deer.  Luckily the headlight was
only knocked out of it's socket & didn't
 get busted out. Kevin says he'll fix it.

The Christmas picture Kevin
framed for me.

These are some of the things that's been going on in my neck of the woods, how has your week been?

Happenings on the Homestead in the Appalachian Mountains

 

Weekend Coffee Share

Hello there Adventurous Friends & Family, greetings from Georgia. How you doing this 49th week of 2023?  Me & Kevin had a night out on the town. We had Taco Bells $5 Classic for supper then took a walk thru the Town Square gander necking at all the Christmas decorations on display & ended the evening doing our weekly grocery shopping. Kevin got his barrel stove set up in the workshop. I had a day out with the Grands. Sister hosted a cookie bake that lead to Me & Kevin having eggnog & cookies while watching one of our favorite Christmas movies, A Holiday to Remember, starring Randy Travis. Kevin said we'd watched it at least 9 times already. Grab a coffee or your favorite beverage & I'll tell you what kind of cookies were made & show you Kevin's stove, come walk with me...

Christmas Lily Elf says candy canes are her
favorite Christmas candy & that everyone should
use one as a stir stick in their favorite hot drink.

*  The Town Square's walkways & pavilions are decorated with all sorts of lighted Christmas decorations for all to view free of charge, so I've taken a couple walks to look around. Kevin & I stopped by there this week on our weekly outing to the grocery store.

Good ol Saint Nick & a couple of reindeer are hanging out on the
corner lawn, spreading Christmas cheer to all passerbyers &
 greeting everyone with a Merry Christmas.

The Town Christmas tree, located
in the gazabo, has elves 
frolicking on it's top.

This snowman, I think, is my favorite 
lighted decoration setup up along
 one of the walkways.

*  The cookie bake was a success.  Next year we'll do gingerbread houses.  Sister took charge of the oven, baking her selection of cookie. I came up with a no bake variety of cookie.  I made hot chocolate cookies to share & Sister made different variations of her oatmeal cookies to share.  I threw in gingerbread men from the dollar store because those cookies are pretty good.  We sampled a lot of the cookies warm out of the oven, sister took a plate to the neighbor across the street & we made 3 trays for sharing with our loved ones.

Measuring & mixing ingredients.

Rolling up the dough.

Sister working with Grands to make her monster cookie recipe.

Gingerbread men, Rudolph's
red nose (on the bottom),
oatmeal cookies of different
variations & hot chocolate
 cookies.

 

Rudolph's red nose was my
selection for a no bake recipe.

Sister & Moma made us a scrumptious spaghetti
lunch. The best part, I got to take leftovers for
supper & lunches.

*  I took Grand's out for breakfast at Waffle House then we did a little shopping at Wal Mart before the basketball game & cookie bake.

Proud Nana, the cooks & servers
complimented on how well 
behaved the kids were. 

Shopping for Toys for Tots
donations for their classrooms.

Look how cute we all are in these little Santa hats, rocking around 
the Waffle House Christmas tree with our to-go bag there & 
a vehicle's headlight outside shining the way for us.

The barrel wood stove that Kevin
made to knock the chill off
in the workshop area.

These are some of the things that's been going on in my neck of the woods, how has your week been?

We're getting up to 5 eggs a day.

Happenings on the Homestead in the Appalachian Mountains

Weekend Coffee Share

Hello there Adventurous Friends & Family, greetings from Georgia. How you doing this 48th week of 2023? I had a 2nd cup of coffee & stayed in my comfy snowflake flannel pajamas all day. Kevin went squirrel hunting. He got us caught up on washing the dishes. We don't have a dishwasher, so all our dishes are done by hand.  No joking, our dishes had not been done for at least 3 days due to having Thanksgiving leftovers with no pots & pans to have to cleanup. Grab a coffee or your favorite beverage & I'll tell you more about my pajama day & I've got a few Christmas gift ideas if you're a gifter & need an extra idea or 2, come walk with me...

*  This is what my pajama day looked like: 

- a sinus headache

- put away all the clean dishes

- 2 loads of laundry done

- took the trash out

- listened to Christmas music while wrapping the rest of my Christmas gifts on hand, "oh by golly have a holly jolly Christmas this year" " glory to the newborn king".

- watched a couple of Christmas movies, Best. Christmas. Ever. & loveactually.

- early shower & bedtime

Digital picture frame

*  3 of my top Gift Giving Ideas for 2023:

1. Digital picture frame - I got a digital picture frame several Christmases ago.  The frames have been one of my favorite all time gifts to receive. The frame blends in with all my seasonal decorations & it also serves as a little night light in the living room.  It has features to run only at certain times, but I have mine going all the time.  Mine currently has over 400 pictures that rotate randomly on the frame. It's a great gift idea for the picture taking hobbyist.

2. Food - A food that one doesn't usually get themself at their grocery store every week such as a specialty trial mix, flavored pretzels, chocolate covered cherries, roasted peanuts in the shell or flavored coffees.  Kevin likes fruit cake, so guess what he gets for Christmas.

3. Hand soap - Everyone washes their hands more often than ever before these days, since you know, Covid.  How about fresh rain scent or frozen lake?  My favorite scents are fruity smells. How about strawberry snowflakes or candy apple.

I decorated up the planter that's
besides the steps. 

These are some of the things that's been going on in my neck of the woods, how has your week been?

Christmas Lily Elf says "Yay,
it's Christmas ugly sweater
wearing season!"

Happenings on the Homestead in the Appalachian Mountains

Weekend Coffee Share

Hello there Adventurous Friends & Family, greetings from Georgia. How you doing this 47th week of 2023?  I made a thermos full of hot chocolate then we headed to the woods for a picnic & to pick up pinecones to use for decorations.  Moma & Sister hosted Thanksgiving. I was thankful for family get together time & the bounty of food with lots of leftovers for lunches. Our neighbor down the road turned on their well-known Christmas lights display. Grab a coffee or your favorite beverage & I'll tell you the final item I marked off my Fall Bucket List, come walk with me...

Look at those perfect pinecones
to decorate with, how many
do you see? 

My edges used to overcook till
I discovered the method of wrapping
aluminon foil around the edge.

*  The final item I marked off my Fall Bucket List was.... 15. Make a pumpkin pie. I made 2 pies using pumpkin puree from a pumpkin Kevin had got at the produce stand. One of the pies went to Moma's Thanksgiving dinner, the other one went in the freezer to have at Christmas.

Christmas Lily Elf helping me decide
which vegetable out of the garden I should
 use to make a dish for Thanksgiving.

Daughter with her Mississippi Mud Pie. 
Me with my carrots & pineapple dish.

* I went to Grand's basketball game.

Fans in the stands having snacks & sharing
nachos & cheese with pulled pork on the top.

  

It's never too early to get them
tossing around a ball.

Happy Birthday to Grand Olivia.  She chose for her
party to be at Build-a-Bear with her siblings.

The lovely ladies that hosted Thanksgiving, everyone's favorite cooks. Sister gave a
short sweet educational presentation about Thanksgiving's history that included football
& there were a few turkey jokes in between. 

Why were the turkeys parading down the street?
They were marching to the beat of their own drumsticks.

Why did the turkey cross the road?
It was the chicken’s day off.

These are some of the things that's been going on in my neck of the woods, how has your week been?