Christmas Cookies

Every Christmas since we have been married, I have made several batches of cookies for us and our extended families to enjoy.

Last year I decided to try making gingerbread, and found a decent recipe online. I noted last year that the spices in the gingerbread were not strong enough, so added more this year. It worked as they taste a lot better. When they first came out of the oven, they were not as spicy as I would have liked, so I mixed some cinnamon into the frosting. It was the perfect addition, as they now taste wonderful, and look pretty good, too.

Now the sugar cookies are another story. I have been using this recipe for four years now, and I love how easy it is to work with the dough. They taste wonderful, too. The only thing I do not like about them is that the dough expands almost twice it's size when fully baked. It would be fine if I had smaller cookie cutters, but as I have yet to find a set of smaller ones that I like, I find myself wishing that these cookies looked better each year.

Needless to say, my goal is to finally find a good set of cookie cutters that will be small enough to work nicely with the sugar cookie dough.

Other than gingerbread and sugar cookies, I made a batch of peanut butter blossom cookies and a batch of regular peanut butter cookies. Hubby requested the peanut butter cookies as they are his favorite.

I am glad to say that after the three days of preparing, baking, and frosting cookies, I still enjoy baking. Every year, I wonder if I will over do it and not enjoy baking after the cookie frenzy is over. I can report that this year I am still enjoying baking, as long as I do not have to bake anything in the next few days...

A Wintery Mix

Yesterday evening was a good time to stay inside and enjoy the winter from a warm vantage point. Of course, we were out in the wintery mix of rain, snow, and freezing rain tending to the animals. Nothing like barn work to keep you out in the elements.

Having animals has taught me that as long as I am dressed appropriately for the weather, I really enjoy being outside, or in the barn. Even with the rain and cold that was making the recent snow fall very slippery, I was really enjoying myself when helping my husband feed the animals.

There is something very calming about watching animals after they have been feed for the evening. It makes me very grateful for the life that we have choosen to live.

It Has Been Hectic

It seems life got away from me these past several months. I always intended to blog frequently, but as one can see, that has not happened.

Things are going well for us. We are enjoying the warm weather which arrived yesterday. I am not enjoying the mud, though, but one has to take the good with the bad.

The sheep are doing well. The beast, aka our old ram, is no longer with us. He was getting too big and aggressive to handle so he had to go. The new ram is very gentle with us and the ewes so he is looking promising.

We had him in with some of our smaller ewes during breeding season so we will know come spring whether he is a true keeper or not.

Since I last posted, we expanded our animals to include five pigs. We usually raise feeder pigs, so having pigs is not unusual. These ones we are hoping to breed as they are really nice looking pigs, and my husband figures we will see profits quicker from the pigs then the sheep.

In addition to the animals, I have been teaching myself to crochet. My hope is to one day use the wool from our flock for items we need around the house. Of course, this means I need to learn to clean, card, and spin wool! I am sure I can learn, though. If not, I can always send the wool away to be spun, and crochet it when it returns.

Other than that, we are preparing for Christmas, and expecting our first child in May. Life has giving us many blessings this year. May you all recieve blessings in your life.

God bless you, all.