Christmas Eve

Okay, I admit I was a little grumpy and tired because I did all the wrapping. Russ was trying out my new camera by taking pictures of me, and I was not amused!




Here's the treat table, complete with carob covered raisins, carob peanut clusters, and dates, along with other stuff. YUM!
Here's the tree. It seems like it shrinks every year!
Smiling because I'm done and now I can go to bed!

Christmas Season Performances

Emily, Caleb, and Hannah had a lot of opportunities to perform in December. There's nothing better than Christmas music!Juab High School Concert Choir performed in a concert on December 14th. They also sang for the Senior Citizens on the 16th.

Caleb, the teacher Mrs. Esplin, Hannah, and Emily
Caleb on the bus on the way to Temple Square for a choir performance December 15th.
Emily, Caleb, and Hannah in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building


The Juab School Orchestra had a concert on December 21st.
(Notice the Santa hat on Caleb's bass)
Mr. Johnson brought out a surprise guest conductor during the concert--his 18-month-old son. He waved the baton while the orchestra played. It was so cute!

More Snow Pictures

Snow goes with children. It's deep outside, and when I saw Molly and Matthew sit down, and halfway disappear, it made me laugh!

Making snow angels

Once within a Lowly Stable

I know, that's a Christmas song about Jesus' birth. I went out to the barnyard this morning while it was snowing to see how the puppies were doing. The warm glow of the heat lamp on the yellow straw reminded me of that song. I know, there probably wasn't snow when Jesus was born, and he probably wasn't even born in a stable made of wood. I guess it was the warmth amidst the cold and colorless world around it that made me think of the Nativity. This is Maggie with her three puppies--Lilly, Honey, and Snoopy. They are 2 1/2 weeks old. They will be ready to be adopted for Christmas.I can't resist these little cuties! They are still at the slightly oblivious stage, but if you hold them up to your face, they will lick it and then they always yawn. It is so adorable! Here's me with Lilly. Here's a view of the snowstorm from inside the barn where Maggie and the puppies live. You can see the framework of Russ's greenhouse that never got the plastic put on (oh, well, maybe next year), and the big dark thing on the right with snow on it is our haystack covered with a tarp.
Here's one of Maggie's over-the-fence neighbors with little snow crystals on his head. They always have to look over the fence to see what's going on.

Katie came with me to see the puppies and so I could take some pictures. She loves them too! Who wouldn't?

Here's a little shot of their corner with the heating lamp and straw. They seem to be quite comfortable.

Finally! It's really snowing!!!

We finally got some real snow! It's hard to anticipate Christmas when the weather isn't cooperating. We woke up to a nice blanket of white. "It's a marshmallow world in the winterrrr...when the snow comes to cover the grouuuund...." Molly didn't waste any time. She was out shoveling before breakfast, and even before the sun was up all the way! She couldn't find the snow shovel, though. It was probably buried under the snow! She used a square metal edging shovel.Here's what our cats' house looked like on the back porch. Usually they are all three in there, but as soon as I opened the door, seeing as how they were hungry, they all ran up to my feet and meowed while I took a picture of their empty "igloo."
One of Matthew's favorite foods is ice, and, well, snow is like grated ice, right? After breakfast, he got himself a bowl of the stuff and had it for dessert!

Yummy! (I know, the reality of how dirty that stuff is is kind of gross, but it has never killed him before, so why not let him enjoy life?)

Here's a shot out the front window. I love the way the snowflakes catch the light of the camera flash!

Molly decided that Matthew's idea was a good one, so after she came in from shoveling, she joined in.

Here's Hannah coming in from morning milking chores. Her comment was, "I had no idea it was that deep!"

Caleb went out to brush the snow off the car so they could get to school. I caught him on the way back in.

Mom: "Can I take a picture of you?"

Caleb: "Hurry, I'm freezing!"

Molly went out for more shoveling later. I did some shoveling, and so did Joshua. It's still coming down, so we are going to have to shovel again.

Here's Russ getting ready to attach the snow blade to his rototiller. It works great!

Christmas Magic with Andy

We're watching the Best of Andy Williams Christmas Special on PBS. Of course it's the pledge drive--that's when they show the best stuff. I love Andy Williams. I remember being a kid and thinking he was so handsome, and his voice was smooth as silk. I still get filled with happy childhood memories when I hear Andy Williams sing, "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year."The best thing about the Andy Williams Christmas Special is that it is all about family--Andy and his brothers, Andy's children and extended family, and the Osmond brothers. It is such a departure from the entertainment that is out there now! It has a strong family feel and a reverent respect for our Savior and the true meaning of Christmas. Makes me want to weep.

Here's a conversation that just occurred:

Molly: (excitedly) Mom, call them! (the pledge drive folks)

Mom: Why?

Molly: Because they want you to call them.

Mom: But why do they want me to call them?

Molly: I don't know.

Later......

Molly: You need to call them, Mom. Here's the phone.

Mom: I don't think I am going to call them, Molly.

Molly: But don't you want that music? (the CD they offered as a pledge gift)

Mom: I do really like that music. I think they want us to give them some money, Molly.

Molly: Oh.Later....

Molly: (to Katie as the pledge drivers showed their basic membership) I could do that. I have twenty dollars.

Then later, while listening to Andy Williams sing with his three brothers, Molly said, "I wish I would be able to sing like that when I was a grown up!"

College Prep

Last night Caleb, Emily, and I were up late while Emily finished her essays for her BYU application. Today was the priority deadline for applications, meaning that those who get their applications in early (by December 1st) get first consideration when it comes time to admit new students.

Caleb finished his essays and submitted his application online, I guess by ten o'clock. Emily was still working, but she was so tired and got a little punchy. Caleb and I joined in and we were all laughing and being pretty silly! The problem for Emily was the word limit. Two hundred words isn't nearly enough for an expressive person like Emily to tell about one of her passions and how she had developed knowledge and creativity in that area! Of course she chose music.

Today Caleb was back at it, searching for scholarships. The work for both of them continues, and their mother is learning things she never knew about the college admissions process. Thank goodness I have some family members to consult with who have been through this before!

Hannah Plays for the Messiah Singalong

Hannah played in an orchestra for our local Messiah singalong tonight. Russ and I, Emily, Caleb, and Katie came to sing. As Hannah has practiced over the past weeks, I have been reminded of how inspired that musical work is. I can't listen to some of those choruses without being brought to tears. It truly testifies of Christ.

Hannah struggled to play up to speed with our CD recording and had to work very hard, and then she found at rehearsal that the music was enough slower that it really helped. The music was definitely a challenge for her. I am so pleased at how hard she worked, and thankful for the uplifting feelings it brought into our home.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving was a lovely day! We are so incredibly blessed to have been able to spend the day with extended family and enjoy plenty of good food and good company.

One exciting thing about this year's Thanksgiving feast was that we were able to provide a lot of the food from what we had raised. We brought hubbard squash, corn, pumpkin pie from our own pumpkins, and of course, the bird! Unfortunately, we meant to bring the tom (Zeke), but when we arrived at Russ's parents' house on Monday to deliver it, he noticed he had grabbed the hen (Chester) instead. She was only about four pounds smaller, but still a nice bird at about 21 pounds.

Right before the prayer, my brother-in-law, Michael, announced that he and his wife, Shalisa, are expecting their first child! We are all so excited for them.

Here are some pictures of our Thanksgiving turkey and Russ carving it. It was a different breed than the turkeys that we normally purchase in the store, and the dark meat was even darker than usual.


Here's a picture of some of the teenage cousins that came. Left to right, Alison, Jaclyn, Emily with Tyler, Caleb, Alex, and Cameron. The dark haired girl (Alex) is my sister-in-law's niece who came with her dad to eat with us.A few hours after dinner, Shalisa, my sister-in-law suggested we go to the piano and sing. She is so talented and can play just about anything that is put in front of her. Emily had gone to see my sister Lisa's family, who were dining a couple of blocks away, and she told them to come over. When they arrived, we put Shalisa to the test and she played while all of us sang. I think we wore her out. Heidi Bird took over, and we kept going.
Left to right, Caleb, Lindsey, Heidi, Emily. Mike and Shalisa Goates in the background.
Standing, me (Rachel), Lisa Bird, and on the piano bench, Lindsey Bird, and Heidi Bird playing. Grandma Kathryn Goates is on the sofa listening.

I was talking to my sister, Lisa, and I realized how long it had been since I was with my family. Our last gathering was Memorial Day in May. I was so grateful to have that time with her and her kids. I really needed it. Another huge blessing to be thankful for.This is my trademark self-portrait at the end of the day!

Zeke and Chester are Dead (Preparing for Thanksgiving)

Zeke and Chester met their destinies yesterday. I have to admit I was a little sorry to see them go. They have been very fun to have around, and they are much smarter than meat chickens. I also learned that there really are turkeys that look like the pictures that used to hang on the wall in my elementary school classroom.

There was a little mixup on their names. Katie said the bigger one was Chester and the smaller one was Zeke, but the rest of us who care to express an opinion think that Zeke was the biggest. I'll call it that way, since I am the one telling the story. Here is a picture of our Tom turkey, Zeke. Isn't he neat? Zeke wasn't fluffed up like that all the time. When he wasn't, he looked pretty much like Chester, only a little bigger and with a lot more of that red fleshy stuff on his face. Chester turned out to be a hen. She wasn't around long enough to get a new name, though. She didn't fluff up her feathers to show off like Zeke did.

Here are their footprints. They are so big and interesting to look at, I had to take a picture.

Here are Russ and the kids with Zeke right before he died.

The first thing Russ did is hang the turkey by his feet on our ladder. Each foot had a baling twine loop around it. The birds relax when they hang like that.

Russ said a quiet, "Thanks, guy, for giving your life so we can eat." Then he cut the jugular vein and let the turkey bleed out into the bucket.

It was a very cold morning. Katie and Charlie were snuggling together to get warm.

After the turkey bled out, Russ dipped it in a pot of hot water that is just the right temperature to scald, but not cook. If it's too hot, it makes the skin come off when the feathers are removed. After scalding, he put the turkey in our Whizbang plucker. He wasn't sure the plucker would handle such a big bird, but we were pleasantly surprised.

There is a rotating plate with rubber fingers on it in the bottom of the plucker. The sides of the drum have rubber fingers, too, but they stay stationary. The bird tumbles arountd in the plucker, and the fingers take all the feathers out. I don't know why it works, but it is amazing! It takes about a minute. Russ runs water in the plucker while it's going to help the feathers wash out and down a hole in the side of the bottom of the drum.

Russ was really excited to know his plucker would handle turkeys. Now he wants to raise ten or twenty next year.
Next came the fun part--gutting them. When Russ got his hand inside, he said, "Wow, there's a lot more room in here than in a chicken!
We saved the gizzards, hearts, and livers for my in-laws, and we gave heads, scraps, and fat to the very happy cats and to Hannah's dog, Maggie, because she is eating for four. The water from cleaning up the table was freezing instantly on the sidewalk. It was cold out there!

Russ put the turkeys in a barrel of water to rest for a bit before he bagged them. At the finish, Chester came out to about 20.5 pounds and Zeke was 24.

Last night we took a drive up to deliver the Thanksgiving turkey to Russ's parents' house where we are having dinner on Thursday. We took corn and squash from our garden, too. Unfortunately when we got there, Russ realized he had brought the smaller bird, and he was a little disappointed. Dad thinks it will still be plenty, though.