It's That Time of Year

Where we hustle and bustle to try and have the most wonderful Christmas of all. This year is going to be different. Yes, we are rushing a little to get things done for the kids and families that will be here in just a few days. But this year we are going simple. The decorations are up but pared down from years past. The treasure hunt prizes are ready but more simple than years past. We no longer do gifts since our family has grown so large but we do play the dirty Santa game. The kids love taking a gift from their sibling and this always makes us laugh as we watch and wait for our number to come up so we can grab someone elses gift. This year we are really cutting this game back and only allowing $5 spent on each gift. Its not the gift but the game of being able to tease someone by taking their gift only to have someone turn around and take it from you. We are having our big Christmas dinner but this year it is mostly from garden that I canned or froze. Megan is bringing the turkey and ham this year. One was a gift and the other she got free with store points so no money spent there. The hayride Christmas caroling won't happen this year but we have a fun surprise in the treasure hunt that will take its place. We will have our big ole country breakfast on Saturday and our annual red and green pancakes on Sunday. We will gather the grands around for the annual reading of the Christmas story. We will spend most of our time enjoying being all together. This year its not about rushing out, stressing over finding the perfect gift. This year its a simple homestead Christmas with our family making memories. After this weekend I can sit back, relax and enjoy watching others planning and getting ready for their Christmas. I can watch Christmas movies, sit by the fire and read. I can enjoy baking goodies for my neighbors and friends. I can spend more time talking to God and thanking him for my many blessings. I can spend more time reflecting on the reason for the season. This post gave me food for thought on how I wanted Christmas to be this year. Now on the other hand Rusty is having a problem. He is so excited all the kids are coming in a few days. He just can't decide which hat he should wear to greet them.

He is into snowmen hats this year. He didn't want to wear his santa hat. Said it made him look fat.
So how about you? What are you going to do this Christmas season? Do you have plans to make it less stress and more relaxing? Are you going to have a simple Christmas?

Thankful

Here at Hidden Haven have so very much to be thankful for. God has blessed us in so many ways. May each of you have a very Happy Thanksgiving filled with love, laughter, and blessings.

Baby Face McGee

Goes by the nickname Baby. She spent all of her life until a month ago on death row. She escaped when they came to take her and the others to be executed at the House of Raeford. Since she was smart enough to escape she was given a pardon and sent for rehab at the home of Kandace. Baby had never been outdoors or associated with anyone except her fellow inmates. She had to learn how to interact with others and enjoy life. After a month of rehab she was finally ready to go to a permanent home. Baby loves to talk, well as long as you let her do all the talking and you just listen with a few comments. She loves playing with cats. She loves strolling around the yard enjoying freedom. She does have one addiction. She craves pecans like a druggie on crack! It's not too bad of a habit to supply though so think we have that covered. Yes, I think Baby is going to like it here at Hidden Haven and we sure like having her as part of the family!

This week has went by way too fast. I am trying to get Christmas decorations sorted and put up. I only have 2 weeks until our annual family Christmas weekend. Trying to get things together for the treasure hunt and work on the map and clues. I painted my bathroom today. Its the same color just freshened up. Moved things around differently on the walls and very happy with the results. Have 2 more litters of baby bunnies and they are adorable. Have one more litter due today so will be going out during the night to check on Prissy. Got the rabbit pens cleaned out and all the poop hauled to the mulch pile. Got 2 chicken pens raked out. The leaves are deep around here. The only bad thing about having so many oak trees is having so many leaves to rake in the fall. I don't mind raking but wish the leaves would all fall at the same time. Working on the menu for the Christmas weekend and getting my shopping list together. Am so excited to have the family all together for a few days. We have been cutting and splitting wood. I am really enjoying having a fire to sit by each evening and enjoy a cup of tea or hot chocolate. I get so warm and relaxed till I think of all the things left on my to do list. Then its up and back at it. I have already got some of the Christmas trees up. I have the memory tree up in the hall. It has ornaments with the names of family members no longer with us as well as tiny framed pictures among the branches. I also have the tree up that holds all the ornaments the kids and grandkids have made each year at our Christmas weekend. Have a tiny tree up in the bathroom, another tree in the dining room as well as a couple small ones in the kitchen. Still have the live tree to get and put up a few days before everyone gets here and the trees for the bedrooms. Have half of the decorations up outside. Am sure my neighbors think I have totally forgotten Thanksgiving but I had to start early to have everything ready in time. Will still be giving thanks and counting my blessings on Thanksgiving. Tomorrow I have more pens to rake and will start on my bedroom. Hopefully can finish the outside decorations over the weekend. I also will have produce to can, freeze, dehydrate. I love staying busy! Will also have some photos to post tomorrow evening of a new animal family member coming to Hidden Haven. Its not a goat, pig,rabbit, chicken, or dog but I think she is going to be very happy here. Wishing you a very blessed weekend!

Gosh time has gotten away from me. My daughter Megan had to remind me to post on my blog. We have been working to get everything dried in for the rain coming in tonight and for the winter. I have been dragging out Christmas decorations. We are going to have our annual family Christmas weekend the first weekend in December so I want to have everything decorated. We are also working on the clues and bounty for PopPop's annual treasure hunt. Don't know about our treasure hunt? Well you can read about it Here , Here, and Here.
My friend Gerda gave us lots more produce so I have been dehydrating, freezing, cooking and going to be canning tomorrow. Could tell it was Monday as I haven't felt well today, got stung by a yellow jacket, had a acorn fall from a tree bounce off the porch rail and hit me smack in the eye. Gave the dogs a bath and got more water on me than them.For the last few nights I can't seem to sleep more than 15 or 20 minutes at a time before waking up so I am tired and grouchy during the day. Tonight I am drinking some chamomile tea and hopefully will sleep better. Hope each of you have a very blessed week!

Today would have been my sister's 61st birthday. She died from cancer at the age of 31, leaving behind a husband who died a few months later and 4 small children. Been thinking about her alot lately and how things were when we were growing up.

I've gotten used to missing you,

My grief's begun to ease;

I don't sit down to write you notes

Or phone to shoot the breeze

.When in a crowd someone may laugh

Or sound a lot like you;

And then the pain will grip my heart

And flood my soul anew.

I've gotten used to missing you,

I'm learning day by day

To focus on good memories

And put the rest away.

On strong days I scan photographs

Of happy times we knew;

I picture Jesus in my mind

And place Him next to you.

I've gotten used to missing you,

And though it's been 30 years;

I still am just a thought away

From aching and from tears

But my sorrow will have an end,

So let the teardrops pour;

Until I'm once again with you

And the One who loves you more.

Husband, Dad, Daughter, Father in Law,Brothers, Son in Laws, Grandfather, Uncles, Cousins, Nephews, Brother in Laws, friends, neighbors, and every Veteran....

THANK YOU

California Dreamer (our California Giant rabbit) was due Monday. On Sunday she was pulling fur, lining her nest to get ready for the babies. It got down to 28F that night but since she had a nice warm nest made I made the mistake of not going out to check on her. Monday morning I found all 10 of her babies dead. Something had scared her during the night and she delivered outside the nesting box and the babies didn't make it. Poor Dreamer kept looking and looking for her babies.

I knew Porky our New Zeland was due today and decided I was going to take a couple of her babies for Dreamer. Well Porky decided to pull her fur and have her babies last night.

She had 5. I waited until this morning and took 2 of them. I rubbed them with the fur from Dreamers nest and I also rubbed them down her back so they would have her scent. I placed them in the nest and waited. Dreamer was very happy! She sniffed the babies, cleaned them, and then rearranged her nest and covered them with fur. I kept waiting to see if she would nurse them and she did! She has nursed them  and accepted them as her own.

Porky doesn't seem to notice she only has 3 babies now and Dreamer is no longer sad and searching for her babies. Both momma bunnies seem very content which makes me very happy.

A Request

 Edited to add I fixed the link to Farmgirl Cyn

Today as you go about your day please keep FarmgirlCyn and her family in your thoughts and prayers. She will be saying goodbye to her tiny grandson Alex. The faith the family has has really carried them through a very rough time. Goodbye sweet baby Alex. You are a special unforgettable blessing to each of us.

It has been a busy week. Along with having a stomach bug keeping me dragging we have been trying to get all the animals ready for old man winter. Making sure they have warm dry places to sleep and plenty of room to move around when its too wet or cold to be out in the open. Cleaning and filling the laying boxes with fresh straw, cleaning and filling the rabbit nesting boxes for the rabbits due to deliver next week.and getting hay for the goats to munch on. Getting the hay was a nice surprise. We went on Craigs list to see who had hay for sale close by and saw a ad for 8 bales of hay for free. William called and made arrangements for  us to pick it up and when he googled the addess he told me it was the same lady (Rebbeca) that gave us the goats and bunnies. I thought it might be a neighbor or someone on the same road. but I was wrong. She and I were surprised and happy to see each other. I caught her up on all the goat and bunny stories and she told me about her horses and the new stable she is building. The hay was some the horses couldn't eat so we were very blessed to get free hay and to see Rebecca again to update about the goats.

We are finally getting a freeze tomorrow night so I picked all the things left in the gardens. Lots of green tomatoes, peppers, carrots, herbs, and even some okra. Time to put the garden to bed for the winter. As I rake the leaves I will dump them in the gardens to cover it for winter and then we can just till them into the garden next spring. We brought the house plants back inside today and stacked some wood. We have plenty of wood for winter we just need to split and stack it. I am trying to deep clean a room at a time and declutter even more. For some reason having lots of things sitting around make me feel overwhelmed. I want to get the house to be more open and comfortable. The girls will be coming the first weekend in December for our annual family Christmas weekend and I have boxes waiting for them to take home. Things I think they will enjoy and bring back memories and that way I get to declutter and they get to enjoy and can pass on to their children.

The hens are back to laying good. The hot then cold weather had them off somewhat and eggs were few and far between. But now things are back to normal with the cold weather finally here.
Hope you have a blessed weekend and stay warm!

Lay those eggs girls! Don't worry there is room for all of you!

Growing Up

Sister's babies are growing up. The story about the loss of Sister and how her chicks hatched can be found HERE.  There is one white chick that looks and acts just like her mom so I have named her "Sis" and since the other white one is a little rooster I have named him "Ter". Get it? Sis and Ter. Yeah, I need therapy. The other two chicks are from eggs Sister stole to sit on and both are little feather footed roosters. One is named Bugs after a chicken William raised years ago and the other is named Bully for a good reason. They are so much fun to watch. I leave the door to their pen open and they go out exploring until a leaf or acorn falls from the sky, then they are truly chicken and run back to the pen to hide. They scold me when I go out to feed and follow me around until I get to their food bowl. Sis is the sweet one except when it comes to messing with her brothers. She will fly in your face and peck at you to keep you from picking one of them up, yet she loves to be picked up. I sure miss Sister but its such a pleasure seeing her live on in her chicks. The sad things in life seem to somehow have some wonderful blessings come from it.