Christmas Wishes 2010

It comes so fast every year. It catches us off guard. We know it's coming. Every year we are still shocked at how fast time flies. The mad rush to finish shopping for the perfect gift, last decoration to hang, last card to write. This said, we are not children who wait anxiously for Santa to arrive. Their bubbling joy knows no bounds as their expectation and excitement is almost unbearable and uncontainable in their little bodies. Sleep is impossible they reassure us. Then they close their eyes in exhausted slumber only to wake at the crack of dawn with squeals of delight.

Take time to enjoy family and friends. Relax and put up your feet if only for a few moments. Reflect on the reason we do this each year. Then give up a little prayer for those who can't be home. Then give a great big hug to those who are with you.

Merry Christmas to all from every creature great and small from Mainely Ewes Farm.

Christmas Update- Ramblings from the Farm

Keeping busy was not a problem this year. I think we tried to cram as much as possible into the pre Christmas season. I have a theory. It may seem far fetched to some but to my brain it makes sense. How about if we have Halloween in September, Thanksgiving in October and Christmas in December? We would have time to enjoy each holiday as it deserves. Two months to get ready for and enjoy Christmas just seems like a good idea. We get the lights and trees up in preparation for a very important holiday and only get to enjoy them for such a short time. Who do I call to try this out? How many of you are with me on this? Maybe I wouldn't be run down and get a cold so easily. I would have time to relax, drive around looking at lights, enjoying everyones talent and expression of Christmas. Now doesn't that make perfect sense?
I had planned on making about 25 baskets and taking to New Hampshire for Sue to sell in her store. Ted and I worked quickly putting only about 12 together. In each basket we had 2 bars of goat milk soap, 1 bottle of goat milk, shea butter and honey lotion, 1 container of homemade bath salts, 1 nail brush and a wooden soap dish. We had Oatmeal Milk and Honey, Almond, Honeysuckle and Lavender scents.

We even made homemade bows for each basket.

We got to Smoke Signals Pipe and Tobacco Shop in Dover, New Hampshire with all the baskets intact. We were greeted by Linc. He is Heather's pug. Link was all decked out for the holiday. He and his buddy Casey were the customer service greeters, just like at Wall-Mart.

We got home and had a tasty breakfast from Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans. Our first attempt with beignets and it was a success.

Christmas Eve came cold and overcast. We have a nice blanket of snow. We missed the snow that hit the mid east last week. Nothing, not even a flake. I enjoyed reading about the snow and everyone's reaction to it. Our sheep have their trails that they follow through the snow. The cold doesn't even faze them. They're Icelandic Sheep after all.

The guineas love to visit high places. Two of these dim birds spent Christmas Eve night roosting on top of the barn.

Strange birds. Can you just imagine the wind chill up there? The wind whips down the hill.

Emma was kind enough to bring us an ornament from the big tree out front. She was also kind enough to unwrap Susan's present and run around the house with it in her mouth. Bad dog. (not really).

Christmas Eve was a time for family and friends. I don't care how cold it is outside. When family arrives everything gets warm and fuzzy. Alex is a great cook and while we were out finishing up a few last minute shopping things, she was home working on this spread. Thank you Alex, it was wonderful.

Friends arrived, Kevin and Cheata from across the street.

Nikia their daughter joined in with the fun.

Teddy is home from Thomas College,and Tiffany came up from New Jersey with Jasmine and Kalel a cousin. They are cut ups and make the fun begin.

After some truck trouble Sue arrived from New Hampshire ready to enjoy the holiday. She always brings one of her most valuable assets. Her smile.

Combined with good friends, family and food the night was a hit.

While we were inside cooking Christmas dinner everyone was outside enjoying snowmobile rides. Jasmine and Ted started out the fun. Jasmine is a speed demon. All she says is "faster, faster".

And the rides keep going.

Nikia and Cheata got snow shoes for Christmas and tried out their skill.

Cheata is working on her skill.

One of our Christmas traditions is putting together a gingerbread house. All in all it turned out colorful and very sugar loaded. Those snow men cookies and Christmas trees are already gone. No one knows where the went to. I think they were taken during the night.

The holiday was wonderful. Family was the best part. We miss having the rest of the kids there.

Hopefully one day we will be able to get everyone there at the same time. What we do know is that we are blessed. Blessed beyond belief. It's not the gifts that make this time so special. It's the love that is felt and shared. Reading your blogs has been such a treat. I enjoy the time I spend with each of you. We visit each other, meet families, learn of trials and tribulations, send wishes and prayers that problems will be righted. In a way we are all part of a family. The family of mankind.
We are very excited about our upcoming trip to Dixon, IL next Saturday to visit Red Brick Road Farm. We are picking up Echo the ram, Emily and Ciera two bred ewes. I have to add this disclaimer: As Weather Permits. We will be blogging the trip as it happens. That could be a good thing, we will just have to see. We are so excited. I think I already said that. Anyhow, it will be interesting and fun and we LOVE a road trip. Much Love and Prayers from Mainely Ewes Farm.

Kelly

Whew! The holiday flew by.

What else is there to say. We had a wonderful Christmas with family galore. We did have to work Christmas Eve. Ted brought my daughter Tiffany and granddaughter Jasmine up from New Hampshire. They picked up my daughter Leah, Victor and my granddaughter Brianna from Bangor. They got there just in time for Alex and I to leave for work. Alex took time to nab a big hug from Brianna.

Leah had time to braid her hair and put beads in. I think she must have started listing to port with that weight. She was awake enough for a smile and a few dozen kisses before we had to leave. My daughter Sue and Tonya brought Alex's son Jake up and arrived early morning.

We got home on Christmas morning to a wonderful smell. The girls had started cooking. The turkey was in the oven. It felt so good to be home. We were so fortunate to have so many kids home at the same time. Jasmine is helping her Mom unwrap her presents too.

We started a Christmas tradition of building a gingerbread house. Each year the kids seem to get more on themselves and less on the house.


Tarah and Teddy came up from New Hampshire after visiting her family. They will both be at Thomas College this year together.

Even Ivy the Pug had a good time. We are working through a cold spell with lots of ice. We took a slide downhill backwards in the truck today. After that we went and got a small load of sand to spread over the drive. Hopefully we will have more traction tomorrow. We hope that everyone had a wonderful and happy Christmas. It seems that a lot of the everyday farm activities have slowed. Jasmine and I cleaned the chicken nesting boxes out yesterday. It smells better and the chickens seemed to approve. We hung another cabbage up in the coop. It was gone by the time we went to pick up eggs in the evening. No trace that it ever existed. We got 30 eggs from 40 hens today. That is pretty good for winter. We are having to keep the big brooder lights on in the hen house to keep them warm. It will be down in the 10's again this week. Brrrr...... Take care. Thank you to DC from Winnipeg for my first online soap order through my Etsy shop. That was a real thrill. We will be working three nights straight. Take care, keep warm. God Bless.

White Christmas in Maine

We worked 3 nights in a row, went grocery shopping just after work, went to sleep and woke up to this. Per the Weather Man we had 17" with three foot drifts. The wind is still howling up to 35mph. The sun is just now starting to shine, just in time to set at 3:30. The snow covered wreath on the front door was made with our very own hands. Alex was wearing gloves (allergy to pine/balsam). The wreath is Balsam, Pine and Cedar. We took a class at Mapleshade Farm in Garland Maine from Rachel and Linda Clewley. They do a really great job and ship all over the place.

The front pasture is knee deep, this is our outside Christmas Tree. I'm sure the snow plow folks appreciated the cheery lights as they plowed up and down Rt 221.

This is the wonderful job those heroes worked on. North 221 looking toward the beginning of the Appalachian Trail, Mount Katahdin in the far distance.
This is Metropolitan Bradford ,Maine. If you have a furrowed brow, it's a joke! Note our one and only blinking light. We don't even have a real traffic light. I love this place.

This is looking across the street to Kevin's, Cheata's and Nikia's house. Those people are the heroes I mentioned above. She was out plowing all night for DOT and Kevin is a Mechanic with DOT. Nikia came over to hang out with us this morning while mom and dad were working. She is a great kid. Notice, he is prepared with hay on a trailer. Cows will be happy.

Notice how pitiful the barn looks in the snow? Well it don't look so great without snow either. This is our summer project. If you notice the house trailer door on the side it gives you a great idea about some of the other "repairs" that were done in the past. The snow is way too deep for the girls to be outside. They have been on coop arrest. The snow slid off the barn roof on top of the coop and collapsed it in. Another summer job.

This is the beautiful pasture with an extra 50 fence posts. No fence, just posts. Winter surprised us this year. Use your imagination and think of a peaceful scene with wire, and sheep. While you're at it imagine green grass and summer too.

This is my winter look. I did not throw that shovel! Alex has a wicked sense of humor. I personally think I look good in Carhart.

(What is this Momma?)

I was reading a blog while at work the other night, (ok, so I like to play on their computer, it's much faster than ours) and read about giving the girls something to occupy their time. They tend to peck at each other when they get bored. We bought cabbage and hung it from the rafter on jute.

Hmmm....... what are we suppose to do with this?

Oh! Chicken Tether Ball

We wanted to leave you with a cute pic of Timba the fierce mouser in the rafters. Don't feel sorry for him he sleeps in a four poster bed complete with HDTV. We have another storm due Christmas Eve and on the following weekend. Winter has arrived. Take care and have a safe and Merry Christmas. best wishes from Mainely Ewes Farm. Love, Kelly and Alex.