this and that

+ The Peanut Butter Boys were trying to take a nap, but Hattie did not respect their wishes.

+ Well, I got the flu again this week. Thankfully I was the only one who got it, which makes us wonder if it was pregnancy stuff, but it's hard to say. Either way it was 48 hours of terrible. Which means that in the month of December, I've had the flu twice! And I got the vaccine this year! So I'm done. Influenza, back off.

+ I have made a list of what I wanted to get people for Christmas all month long. I feel pretty organized on paper. We are doing a whole lot of DIY projects, but there are books and a few gifts I need to order. So last night I got on Amazon Prime to pound out my list of things to order and EVERYTHING was out of stock! I didn't know this was possible! Each book, each funny gift, each and every thing... out of stock. I told Rory, "I put my trust in Amazon, and that was a big mistake."

+ Ivar is reading and it is so fun. To have a new reader means every sign is being sounded out, each package and container, even a coat at church was hanging up and he said, "It says Gary on it! Do you think it's Gary's?!!" Probably, I told him. At lunch he was reading the cottage cheese, "Ollllddd Hoomme. Mom! Don't eat it! It says it's old!"

+ It's brutal cold today. Last night had a forecast windchill of -39. I don't know if it got that cold, but does it really matter if it got that cold?  (Quick shout out for Electric Blankets. If you don't have one, you need to consider how a warm bed might change your life. Christmas is still coming...) I was amused at church today because everyone was wearing their "We mean Business" hats. I've never seen so many huge hats with fur and ear covers and chin buckles and thick knit pom poms. Usually these hats are kept at home for snow blowing and shoveling, but not today. And I laughed out loud when I walked through our lobby after the service because every hat screamed, "I'm going to survive this."

+ While recovering from the flu I started to feel terrible about the lack of cookies, and basically anything Christmas-y in our house. I even postponed Santa Lucia day until I could participate. So on Tuesday I texted Rory, "can you grab a christmas tree on your way home?"  He walked in the door and said, "Well, I got one. And it was fifteen bucks." I laughed and held my breath as he chain sawed the bottom before I could see the Charlie Brown tree about to enter our Christmas. But you know, it is darling. I love this tree. the kids made ornaments before I could get the real ones from the garage and I really love it. Plus I felt really good about rescuing this tree from the cold outdoors and giving it a warm home in a room with a fire place. It's a cozy tree.

+ I asked Rory recently if he ever gets tired of morning and evening chores. He has four sheep and two goats and three cats and 13 chickens to care for each day, and this is brutal weather. He said, "Oh no. I love our animals so much, I'm ready to check on them when it's time." And this week he's been checking on them in the afternoons too. He's a good farmer and our animals are well cared for.