Christmas Card 2014

Our 2014 Christmas Card for anybody we missed mailing one to.

Parades and Pet Deer

The kids and I visited Pop and Gram this weekend so Justin could have a quiet cabin and try to hunt. Plus, the Weinachts Fest Parade was on Saturday night in Boerne and I wanted to take Levi. I knew Mattie wouldn't last that long past her normal bedtime so she stayed home with the Grandparents while Levi, Aunt Hannah, her friend and old roommate Jordan and boyfriend Steven, and I went to the parade. In the past years, the parade was followed by Dickens on Main where the main street is shut down to traffic and all the stores stay open and activities are going on for the kids. Unbeknownst to us, that was not happening this year. Bewilderment and shock are an understatement to how we felt when we discovered that. Apparently, they only did it one weekend this year and it was the weekend prior. We still had a good time and visited a few of the stores that did stay open.

He really liked Steven. Thank you, Steven!

Another great thing about going home are the "pet" deer that my parents feed. They are so used to humans that a few of them you can feed right from your hand. Make no mistake, they do not have names and if they look just right, they could become dinner.

Apparently, this is the first time anybody hand fed this little buck!

Even Levi managed to be quiet and still enough to feed the deer!

Getting Ready for a Country Christmas

Due to our limited space, I didn't put up too many Christmas decorations. The front fence was the first thing I decorated right after Thanksgiving. I also put lights on the cabin (that nobody can see). I found a tall but skinny Christmas tree plus a couple of items on the mantle and I was done. I didn't want to get all the ornaments out of storage, so I used a few that we missed putting away last year or were ones I have bought recently at craft fairs. Then to complete our minimalist Christmas, the kids helped me make some cinnamon ornaments yesterday. I used the McCormick brand recipe and they turned out perfect!

I was so happy to get this yard sign from a craft fair this year. I saw them last year and wanted one but the guy had already sold out of them!

There were more presents under the tree, but I already took them to my parent's house when I visited this past weekend. We will have Christmas there this year.

Levi helped me pick out which shapes to use and both kids helped press the cookie cutters into the dough.

I let the kids play with the small piece of dough left. It kept Mattie entertained for about 15 minutes, Levi about 1 1/2 minutes.