It’s cold here on the knolltop this morning.

We spent last evening with some friends, gorging ourselves on good food. She had every kind of dip known to man with all the trimmings of a holiday buffet. It was great! Of course, I ate too much and was miserable the rest of the evening.

Today we will spend the day eating all that kind of stuff again…only we will be getting exercise as we jump up and down at all the touchdowns MSU will make while they skunk Georgia! (I hope)

It’s a calm morning here on the Knolltop. The weather is normal, not too hot, not too cold…just right.

We had basketball games last night. While Sarah and I stayed home and milked, Bobby went to Luke’s game and they lost in double overtime….what a bummer. Luke was so disgusted, but soon got over it. JW’s team lost big to Hillsdale, a much bigger school than North Adams. JW played a good game though. Three fouls…..that’s par for him.

My brother, sister in law and two nephews make the trip down for both games, that was so nice for them to come. I told my brother it was a real sacrifice for an athletic director to spend his vacation time sitting in bleachers watching basketball! He replied that it was very different because he was watching his nephews and he didn’t have to deal with any problems…he could just watch the game. It was fun to sit and visit with them and to listen to my nephews jabber about stuff.

Today they both have games and I think I’ll be able to watch both of them today!

Prayer request: My dad has his other knee replaced today, if you could pray for him…I sure would appreciate it!

It’s a beautiful sunny morning here on the Knolltop. Cold, but sunny!

After we had ice on Friday, it warmed up into the 50s on Saturday and all the snow and ice melted! Now we’re back to bare ground and that’s just fine with me.

Yesterday we celebrated Christmas with my family at my brother’s home. My sister-in-law is the hostesses of all hostesses. Yes her house is decorated so beautifully, she is clever with everything she does and the food on the buffet was not only delicious it was presented beautifully as well. But the thing that makes here the best hostess??? We started with snacks and dessert first and then she brought out the stuff that was slightly good for us! I loved it! So we loaded up on cheesecake, pumpkin pie and sweetrolls and then ate the ham and shrimp….oh it was good!

Basketball tournaments for the next two days…better get busy!

Here’s what built up on our van since 6:30 am this morning.

After morning chores, Luke decided to put on his hockey skates and play hockey on the road.

JW has no skates, so he just slides around trying to trip Luke up.

There is ice on the window here in my office. It’s an ice storm at the moment…but we will soon have rain and I’m hearing it will be in the sixties tomorrow! This is very strange weather we’re having on the Knolltop.

Yesterday was a very unusual Christmas for the Knolltop. Usually we get our chores done in a hurry so we can celebrate the day. Not yesterday. The main pipe from the well pit to the barn sprung a leak late Christmas Eve. They let it leak in the barn so the cows could have a drink and then shut the water off while they made preparations to fix it Christmas morning. One call to our farm savior, the neighbor Mr. Mike from Knolltop Morgans, also the resident electrician and Jack of all Trades, had just the part we needed to make another part for the pipe. Interrupting his Christmas morning wasn’t in either of our plans but with the cows without water Christmas had to wait on the Knolltop. Late morning Mr. Mike, Bobby, JW and Luke finally got the pipe fixed and the cows had water….Christmas could begin!

We were opening presents at noon and all of us commented on how strange that was. But I’m sure we weren’t the only farm family across the nation who had troubles on Christmas Day. With the weather acting so strange there were bound to be other malfunctions that didn’t look at the calendar before they malfunctioned.

So now I’ll share a few pictures of the day before Christmas when I had everyone in the act of baking and then Christmas Day.

I had JW and Luke slaving away on Christmas Eve, baking and baking and baking. They tried to sneak away, after they ate their fill of peanut butter balls and were too full to roll anymore. But I got the whip out and gave them 50 lashes and they stayed until the bitter end!

The pecan turtles were done and ready for chocolate…but I ran out, so we had naked turtles.

The pies were baked and the sweetrolls with the burned side down. Yes, I burned the sweetrolls…time got away from me! But we had yummy punch, in the popcorn bowl, Sarah broke my punch bowl last Christmas…no, she didn’t throw it at Jake in a rage of anger….just an accident.

The table was all set for Christmas dinner, don’t mind the wrinkled tablecloth….my mother is cringing right now at a wrinkled tablecloth, but the day was getting away from me, plus I was out of starch!

After all the opening of gifts the living room pretty much stayed like this until I put the hammer down and the elves started cleaning up.

And that was our Christmas day! Now it’s time to have Christmas with the rest of the family up north!

Same weather…different day….again.

But there is something exciting and different about today! This morning we went out to do chores and while I was going behind the cows pulling down the manure on the platform I caught Bobby coming in the barn with the wheelbarrow. This was out of the ordinary for his morning routine, but I continued to work. A few minutes later he walked back to the springer pen with a rope halter. At that moment, I knew a cow was either calving or had already delivered. I continued with my routine until I came to an empty stall and there I saw a newborn calf.

Of course, I immediately checked to see if it was a bull or a heifer and to my surprise it was a heifer! My mind started racing about who it was. Was it Blanche’s Goldwyn calf? No, I looked at her yesterday, she didn’t look that close to having a calf, it must have been one of the first calf heifers. Quickening my pace caused by my excitment of curiosity, I walked back to the springer pen. Where was he? I couldn’t see him or hear him, I figured the cow must have been out in the steer barn…but he took a halter, so whoever had the calf had to be halter broke and the heifers that were close were definitely not halter broke!

I continued to look out in the darkness of the pasture but couldn’t see a thing with the snow blowing….just then the big sliding door opened, I knew it was Bobby bringing in the new mom. But who was it? It was like slow motion, Bobby walked through the door with the lead rope in his hand and right behind him was……it was her! It was Blanche! I screamed with excitment!

I couldn’t believe it! God had given us a Goldwyn daughter out of Blanche! To say the least Bobby has been on cloud nine ever since. The wind can keep blowing, the water bowls can freeze, the gutter cleaner can break…today it just doesn’t matter, Bobby received the best Christmas present he could ever get…..Knolltop Goldwyn Blessed.

Same weather just a different day here on the Knolltop.

The wind is from the west so now the west side of the barn is frozen….well it was last night when we went to milk. Jake was a trooper with helping thaw water bowls. He stayed out there the whole milking working on them with Bobby while I milked. The other three kids had a Christmas party with the church youth group down the road. They came out and helped for a while, then went to the party. By the time we left the barn, everyone was fed, watered, bedded and chewing their cud….except the cats weren’t chewing their cud, they were purring.

This morning it’s more of the same, I milked while Bobby thawed water bowls. This wind is supposed to stop tomorrow….yippee! We can stand the cold, and we can stand the wind…but we can’t stand a cold below zero wind! This too shall pass.

Yesterday morning after chores the boys brought in the Christmas bush. JW finally told me what happened with the tree falling out of the back of his truck. He said he had to open the back glass and put the trunk through the window and hold on to it so it would flip out of the truck. By this time I was able to laugh uncontrollably at this whole situation.

We let the branches warm and relax and then last night after the kids’ party and chores we all met in the livingroom to relive every Christmas tree ornament. It’s always fun to talk about each one and when we got it and what it means and the silly things the kids have done in the past. I love that. I made some eggnog and popcorn and we enjoyed the evening. But I was so glad to get in my warm bed!

Now Luke and Jake are gone to basketball practice and we just got done with breakfast and will put on our tundra togs that are warming in the dryer and head back out to the barn for more frozen fun!

It is so snowy and windy on the Knolltop I can only see my neighbor’s house from my window and nothing beyond it! The wind is howling and the snow is coming down and we’re in for a great storm. Bobby is headed out right now to go plow out the neighbor lady, she’s the pianist for the local church and the children’s program will be performed this morning…nothing will stop Miss Stanna from getting to the church on time!

Sarah’s birthday was wonderful. She had the night off from chores and when we got in from the barn we celebrated with cake, ice cream and presents. Bobby and I got her most of her gifts, except for Jake, he bought her a statue of a ballerina. He is so sensitive and thoughtful of his sister. After we gorged on sugar the boys went over to Brads and spent the night.

As far as Christmas is concerned, it will be a miracle if we get the tree up this year. I know, I know…..we are really late, but I joked with the kids about going to the Christmas tree recycling place to get a free tree that someone else already took down because they were going on vacation. We all laughed at the thought of rummaging through used Christmas trees but I’m not so sure that isn’t the answer.

Yesterday Sarah and I went to Walmart and picked up a few things. Then we went to a tree farm where we could cut our own…all for one low price. We selected the tree, the farmer cut it for us and I told him my son would be by to pick it up later when he got done with baseball camp.

While I was doing chores, I called JW to tell him to get the tree with his pick-up on the way home. Luke came out a little later and informed me that JW got the tree home….but it fell out of his truck twice and the top was broken off and now my perfect blue spruce tree looked like a bush! I told Luke to put the tree stand on it and bring it in….and I told Sarah to get one of the table cloths we use for the picnic table, put it on the floor in the corner and be ready for Luke to bring in the tree.

When I got in from chores, the tree was still outside due to a broken tree stand and Sarah had one of my good linen tableclothes on the floor, because she said “It was prettier than the oilcloth.” AAAHHHHH! Can you say frustration? I walked into the bedroom, changed my clothes, popped some popcorn and drowned my Christmas tree woes in carmel corn!

Today the tree goes up….come you know what or high water!

We’re in the middle of a snowstorm right now. Snow, sleet, ice…it’s a mess. The kids are off of school, it’s bad out.

But it’s Sarah’s 13th Birthday so that makes it a great day!!!!! What a wonderful day it was when my daughter arrived into the world. It was so exciting to put pink clothes on a newborn! I loved it. But I can’t reminisce too long….it’s time for more chores!