The day after Thanksgiving

We were supposed to have more company today, but with some of us still feeling sick, they played it safe and stuck to home.  I'm glad they did, because three days later and I am still feeling yucky.  Nothing that is making life stop in its tracks, but enough to slow things down. 

We spent the day catching up on some schooling.  I had to switch around some of our vacation days since we 'ate' into some of them with all the horse stuff that was going on a couple of weeks ago.  After that we headed outside into the sunny warm air.  The temps were in the high 60's!  It was beautiful.  So glad we got out as today is on the cold side and windy.  I think the high for today is only supposed to be 49*.  I am trying to put into practice some things that are going to benefit our little homestead.  One of those things is hanging laundry outside to dry.  I only put one or two loads out there as they really do not get completely dry.  But instead of 1 hours and 45 minutes in the drier, it only took 30 minutes.  This is helping to get more laundry washed, as we got behind, and save a wee little (little, little) bit on energy usage.  We'll have to rethink our line setup, but for now by keeping the goats in the goat area, it is working. 

After our time outside, and schooling under our belt, it was time to put up the Christmas tree.  We traditionally put it up the day after Thanksgiving, along with a cup of hot cocoa (which seems odd when it is almost 70* outside!).  Last year I had not been able to make up a hot cocoa recipe that the kids really enjoyed (GAPS legal that is).  This year, I hit the nail on the head!  There were many requests for more, more, more :-)  I used a blend of my improved almond milk recipe and a can of coconut milk.  By making up a mixture of cocoa powder and honey first, all the chocolate gets incorporated thoroughly.  I put a dab of our leftover coconut 'whipped' cream, and OH MY!  Yum! 

Oh my goodness, something sooooo cute just happened!  We have a whole bunch of Christmas lights that do not work.  We haven't gotten around to putting them up yet.  Aubrey just took of two of the lights (on different points of the string) and put them in his ears and kept saying, "hello!".  Too funny.  I wish I had a video of that!

Here are some photos from our day.

Saoirse found a feather that she wanted to show off.

 

 

 Hanging out on the trampoline.  The kids asked me to join them.  NO WAY!  Upset tummy and a trampoline, I don't think so :-)

 Our laundry all hung up.  I forgot to mention a very important detail about our laundry.  I did NOT hang up this laundry.  One of my very eager helpers did it for me.  As a matter of fact he *insisted* that I did not help.

 Here is my big helper.  Except for the bed sheet he did everything!

 

 

 

 I asked him to pose with his work.  This is what I got.

 After the laundry it was time to do a bunch of boy type things, like look for big rocks...

 ...or chase chickens around.

 

 

 

 Time to hang the ornaments.  I'm telling ya, having older children is pretty amazing.  This year not only did we not put the tree together, but they also hung the lights.  Moira is posing with one of the first ornaments that she received as a baby.

 

 

 

 Everyone wanted to show off the ornaments.

 

 

 

Someone really enjoyed that hot cocoa ;-)

 

 

 

A shot of the whole group.  Everyone helping to put the ornaments on.  Speaking of which I only put ONE on the tree this year!  I think we were done in record time!