Living a Christmas Carol

Another day, another hike.  A slightly longer trek this time with lots of ups and downs, an old mine, some slippery ice, lots of tree roots, a huge beaver dam, and many look out spots over frozen lakes.

Lunch was hot dogs and s'mores with the pièce de résistance being chestnuts roasted on an open fire.  Unfortunately, they were super gross.  I am not sure why they get special mention.  There are many more delicious treats to indulge in at this time of year.

And yes, one could say that with a chill in the air Jack Frost was indeed nipping at our noses and we did sing Jingle Bell Rock around the fire which does qualify as a Yuletide carol, though I am not sure Seamus and I qualify as a choir.

I cannot believe Christmas Eve is tomorrow!  It looks like Santa will be getting wet, though.  I hope he has some fancy fur trimmed rain gear ready to go.

A Holiday Hike

There is nothing like a holiday hike to get the blood flowing.  It also serves the dual purpose of tiring out our very hyper children.

3.2 km later - it worked!  Both Liam and Alistair had after lunch naps while Seamus played outside.  Afterwards, we crafted some outdoor Christmas decorations to hang from the trees for the birds. 

We might need to buy a new jar of peanut butter;
Liam is a very generous smearer.

Roasted pine cones with peanut butter and cranberries.

We are in the process of baking orange and grapefruit slices to make a garland.

They are taking a long time so stay turned for the final product.

I can't speak for everyone around here but I am sure tired out after all this merrymaking.  Whew!  The holidays are exhausting!

Roasted Bird...But Which One?

Christmas Day dinner was supposed to be this...

But then, this happened...

And this...

And so, here we are...

This year's Christmas dinner will be farm fresh, never frozen, overly amorous, roasted rooster - with stuffing, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce, of course.  

As for Pecky Becky, this well loved turkey has earned "pet status" here at Gael Glen Farm and will continue to raise everyone's spirits with her exuberant gobbles and fluffy feather floofing.

A Snowy Day's Adventures

We usually try to get the weekend farm chores done before any bad weather hits.  Unfortunately today Alistair's nap time did not coincide nicely with chore time so we ended up mucking the barns during the snow storm!

The hardest part of this was shooing the animals outside so I could muck inside without having to shovel poop around a six sheep obstacle course.  With a little tenacity and only a few gentle boots to some woolly bottoms, it was mission accomplished.  Everyone now has a clean barn with fresh, sweet straw for bedding.

While Alistair napped and I mucked, Ian, accompanied by Liam this time, headed out for another afternoon of ice fishing adventure.   Despite the snow, it was a warm winter day and they came home with an incredible catch.  They even managed to snag a Thunder Bay-sized walleye.  Grandpa Al would be so proud!

Half & Half

Liam, Ali and I had a quiet afternoon here on the farm full of naps and tidying.  Meanwhile, Seamus and Ian headed out for an adventure.  Today was their first ice fishing expedition of the season.  Ian has been chomping at the bit for the lakes to freeze over ever since hunting season ended.  Finally, after this past week of cold weather, the ice in his preferred fishing spot is six inches thick and thus safe for fishing.  

We have not had any recent snow so the ice is as smooth as glass.  You can see right through it down to the weeds.  You can even watch the fish swim by!  Incredible.  Seamus should have brought his ice skates instead of his snow shoes!

Ian and Seamus were pretty successful for their first trip out.  They brought home four keepers even though they lost the biggest fish of the day at the hole.  That is the downside of ice fishing - if the fish is bigger than the hole then you are out of luck!

Let the Merrymaking Begin

The eve of Christmas holidays is finally upon us.  The assigned homeschooling chapters are completed, the laundry is done, the house is a mess, the kids are wired.  Hopefully* I can get everyone to help me tidy up first before the cookie making, crafting, and merrymaking commences in earnest.  Let the holiday madness begin.  

*Fingers crossed really tight but I'm not holding my breath.

Bookaholics are Us

In addition to the obvious fun that is barn mucking and stacking bales in the hay loft, homesteading with my three littles involves a lot of homeschooling, dishes, and laundry.  It also seems that I am pretty much always searching for a book that is due soon or making one of my many, many trips to the public library.  For our family, the library ties with garbage pick up as our most frequently used public service.

My children are voracious readers.  They come by it honestly.  Both Ian and I are readers.  Our boys read to themselves, they read to each other, and we read to them.  They write out their favourite stories to make their "own" books.  Liam reads proficiently in French and English and enjoys books in both languages equally.  Seamus is very close to reading in English.  He can sound out the easy words and has begun to recognize the words we see most frequently.  I have found my kids reading all over the house: in their bedrooms, the living room, on the kitchen floor, under the beds, sitting on the heater vent, in the basement, and oddly enough - even in the pantry.  No wonder I find library books everywhere!

We borrow close to 60 books per week from the library and read them all by week's end.  By this point I have accepted that I am the crazy lady who shows up at the library with an extra large clothes hamper to hold her books.  The librarians all know me and I bet they giggle at me behind their masks.  That's okay, I can take it - if that's what it takes inspire my kids' love of reading.  It's working so far!