Pioneer Woman at Heart

One Flourishing, Frugal and Fun Family!

One family learning to live off the land, cut back on expenses, and to live a simpler and a more self-sufficient lifestyle.

Adopted Motto

"Eat it up,
Wear it out,
Make it do,
Or go without."
~A Pioneer Sampler, by Barbara Greenwood~

Saturday, December 26, 2015

Christmas ~ Anniversary

We had a wonderful Christmas day at our homestead.  Aside from my oldest two kids being in a 4 car accident (caused by one car) the afternoon of Christmas Eve, totaling the car that Oldest Daughter was in, and maybe Son's, running out of foil was a minor issue.   Oh, and Hubby got called into work at 6pm on Christmas evening, too.

Thankfully, I keep the camper stocked.  We popped up the camper and fetched a new roll of foil for covering Christmas Even dinner and the breakfast dishes for Christmas day.
 

Our new pajama night went well.  Aside from our 16 year-old's pajamas not fitting, causing Hubby to run to a sister store to return and buy new ones, and Old daughter not wanting to participate, all were content with their new "duds."

Here is the front of my pajama top:
If you remember one of my funny camping stories, you'd find this hilarious!  If you haven't read it yet, you can read it here:  Camping Funnies

Gifts were well liked this year, and I have yet to gift my homemade extended family gifts, so I can't share just yet.  

Two of the girls received homemade boot cuffs.  It will be interesting to see if they like them or not.

Oldest Daughter found a ride to the house, so she could enjoy some leftover stuffed shells, punch, cookies and time with the family.

If you have cats, you'd be interested to know that stores make catnip bubbles.  My oldest daughter gifted us some for our house cats.  You blow them just like the bubbles from the wand you all had as kids, and the cats go nuts.  I hear they make them for dogs too (beef flavored).  

The pups all got toys, and old man Jesse got healthy treats.  Zuri seems to love squeaky toys the most.  We'll see how long they last, ha ha!

Cookies were eaten, and our traditional hot cranberry punch was brewed.  We went through 4 pots of organic coffee by the time we had our breakfast. Movies were watched, books were read, and new recipes were tried. Oh, and Son bought a bunch of rock band games for the girls, so they spent several hours banging away and singing the Beetles.

Books dominated this year's gift giving.  We all got more than one book, aside from one daughter who does not like to read so much.  We laughed at the stack our 19 year-old ended up with.  

Some of the books I received this year -  





On Christmas day I strained my organic coffee beans and vodka.  I mixed the brewed coffee and sugar, and added the vanilla and dark rum.  Delicious. 



Hubby tried it in his coffee.  I tried it over ice first, then added organic milk (no half and half, or goat's milk cream in the house).  Very good, almost just like a White Russian.  A nice treat for the holidays.


Our 17th anniversary will be wonderful too.  Aside from UPS losing my surprise gift to Hubby, and work calling at 8am asking him if he'd like to take a "call out,"  we plan to have a nice day today.

I also made this for Hubby today.  It's a "date night" jar.  I only had to buy the colored sticks.  I had all the other items on hand.  Each stick has a place or something for us to do in the area or nearby states.  I also included things like, "build something together" and simple fun things like "have a picnic somewhere."

Original plans were to get a hotel for one night, but with Son home for a short time, and so forth, we chose to make those plans for a future weekend, carrying out our celebration into more days (making an entire weekend of it).  I already have a plan for it.

Have a wonderful day today!  



9 comments:

Kim said...

Sorry to hear about all the vehicle crashes. But it sounds as if no one was hurt and that is a blessing. It seems you had a nice christmas and made some new memories.

Mama Pea said...

Your date night jar sounds like something I should try to do. (Wish I had a better imagination so I could come up with multiple "fun" dates! Maybe if I reeeeally try, I can think of some things. All suggestions would be welcomed!)

Glad to hear no one was hurt in the car accident. None of you needed having more vehicle troubles to deal with.

Sam I Am...... said...

Happy belated Christmas! Sounds like you all had a great time except for the accident...hope all are okay. Happy Anniversary too!

Patricia @ 9th and Denver said...

Kristina!
What a wild and crazy Day!
I'm glad to hear the kiddos are all safe...
the cat nip bubbles sound fun... well, for us, it would be doggie bubbles.
Hope you get that Anniversary date...
all the happiness to you!

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Kim, we did have a nice day, and the kids are not hurt. They have sore necks and backs, but nothing broken thankfully. The driver that did the damage hurt one arm and broke a thumb I heard.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Mama Pea, I put our regular outings on the sticks, such as camping and the island, but added more. I went online and looked up fun things we have not done, such as scenic train rides, campgrounds that had cabin tree houses, a castle you can overnight in, and local state stuff. I also looked into things in neighboring states. Some other ones were, eat in a local diner, go out for breakfast, just go out for coffee, take a hike/walk in a state park, etc.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Sam I am, the kids are okay. Son has had to put my lavender heat wrap on his neck and upper back, but thankfully okay.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Patricia, I have yet to buy the bubbles for the dogs, but the cats love them. It was a crazy Christmas for sure.

Mama Pea said...

Thanks for the suggestions, Kristina. You've given me "food for thought!"