My babies.

Just wanted to stick this one in.  Christmas morning.  My babies with their stockings.  I cross stitched them for the kids.  Kat's the the same one I made when she was a baby.  You can't see, but it's of a little blond girl standing beside a manger with baby Jesus in it. 

This is actually Andy's second stocking.  When he was in Middle School, he asked for a new stocking.  Apparently he thought he was to old for his Santa and Teddy Bear stocking.  So, we found the one he has above.  It's a church in the background with deer in the foreground.  He thinks it is much more "manly".

My babies...they're growing up way to fast!

Kev's deer--2011

I didn't hunt this year.  Primarily because of the tendinitis, but also because Andy and Kev both had permits and I just didn't see the sense in having three deer in the freezer.  I kept busy enough this fall that I didn't miss hunting much, until Kev would come home and share his day, or Andy would describe something he saw.  That's when I missed hunting.  Not the harvest, but just being out in God's Church.

Kev got his deer the end of November/first of December.  (I can't remember!)   He had somewhat of a frustrating season, as he never saw any Mule deer.  We're assuming that this summers drought and heat was hard on them.  In fact, Kev didn't see the amount of deer he normally does, which frustrated him immensely.

 This guy is a white tail.  Kev rattled him in and took his shot.  He's not trophy class by any stretch of the imagination, but Kev typically doesn't trophy hunt.

 He did have an interesting little "claw" on the tip of one antler that Kev thought was cool.

He also had either been shot before, or had been wounded in a fight.  See that dark spot on his forehead?  That was a nasty wound that wasn't healing very well.  Be thankful I didn't get a closeup.  It was ugly.

We hung him up in the shop and the guys butchered him the weekend Mom, Kat and I went Christmas shopping.

I still need to go re-arrange my freezer.  Men, they just don't understand organization :)

This weekend is the final weekend of the season.  Andy hasn't filled his tag.  He can--now in this late season--use either his bow, or a rifle and get a doe.  He says he wants to try still with his bow, so doesn't think he'll switch.  We'll see.  My guess is he'll go out with his bow and come home without a deer.  That's fine.  We've got a freezer full again and we're butchering pigs again next weekend.  I don't think I have space for another deer!

Inman Winter Formal

On the 17th of December, Miss Kat and I drove to Inman so she could attend the Inman High School Winter Formal Dance with Tate.  Now, these two have known each other since they were 3 or 4, so no big romance, but just good friends. (Besides, they're too young for any serious romance!)

 Tate, Miss Kat, Bailey and Dual. 

Bailey graduated from High School at semester and will be going to Marine boot camp in June.  She shouldn't be old enough, but she is.  I've seen all four of these kids covered, head to toe in mud, so I can say that they clean up very nicely!  Until recently, Tate was shorter than Kat, but he's finally started growing and has really sprouted.  His voice has dropped too.  He and Dual are now both nice baritones.  I still wish they were all 10 again...

Here's a shot of the young couple, Kat and Tate.

 The siblings, Tate, Bailey and Dual.

And, to top things off...here's a "normal" shot of Kat!  Gotta love her!

Bailey is two years older than Miss Kat.  Looking at these pictures, I can't help but remember when Bailey was entering puberty, and wasn't as interested in tom-boying with Kat but was becoming more interested in boys...and being a young lady.  Poor Kat came to me one day, crying because Bailey was more interested in spending time with Andy and not playing with her.  She was just devastated and didn't understand.  I remember sitting her on my lap, hugging her, and explaining to her that in a couple of years, she'd be just like Bailey, and that they'd be just as close again. 

I asked her on this trip if she remembered that day.  She laughed and said she did, and that I was right.

Sometimes, being right is bittersweet.

Fletch

We finally got a dog.  Mr. Fletch came to our home on December 17.  We got him from the Humane Society.  Fletch is 2 and is a lab/English spaniel cross.  That's what we were told anyway.  Who knows if anyone really has any idea of his pedigree.  Here's a picture of Fletch, looking out the sliding door.

 

 That first day, Midnight totally ignored Fletch.  If Fletch entered a room, Midnight left.  But, they soon came to a truce and co-existed those first few days.  Since it was the start of my Christmas Break, I was home with they "boys" for two weeks which gave them plenty of time to get acquainted with each other, and for Fletch to get acquainted with us.

 Since we don't allow our dogs to be on the furniture, Fletch decided that the bay window was his spot.  Which is fine with everyone, even me.  However, I find that I have to wash that window more often because it gets covered with dog kisses now.

 After about a week, Midnight decided that Fletch was OK, and he lowered his dignity enough to "play".  It was half-hearted, but they did play.  By the first of January, they played a lot.  Inside, and outside.  Midnight has always been a timid dog, but he's mentoring Fletch fairly well.  He's taught Fletch that they stay in the yard instead of chasing cars.  (Fletch is slowly catching on to that.)  When they are outside, Fletch will watch Midnight to see where he can and cant go.  One thing Fletch needs to learn quickly is to leave my chickens alone.  He's been punished  for chasing them several times and, unfortunately, he was severely punished for killing one. 

He's also had to be punished for marking the couch in the basement...and helping himself to a stick of butter from the counter... and Kev's waffles...but he's learning.

He still isn't sure exactly where our boundaries are, because he ran toward the cattle in the neighboring pasture one day.  I called him off, and he came right to me, but he watches them from the bay window and growls at those trespassers.  He'll learn.

He's adopted Andy, and sleeps with him.  He'll get up in bed with us, but he wants to sleep between us, and that just won't work.  He's a good quiet dog and he did so well at Christmas with all the extra people of all sizes at our house. I think we got a good dog. 

Today will be the first time they'll be penned all day long.  Let's hope they both are good dogs and are in the pen when we get home tonight!

One last final shot. Of Midnight.  He wouldn't pose with Fletch, and I just had to take his picture...although, from his expression, you can tell how he enjoys photos!  Poor guy :)

Books read 2011

I finished entering in all the titles I read over Christmas, and then counted.  I read 100 books this past year!  Well, maybe more, because sometimes, when I re-read something, I don't write it down.  And I don't write down all the magazines I read either.  But, wow!  What an accomplishment.  This might explain why I haven't done much stitching this past year...

Part of the credit for me reading so many titles goes to Mrs. Coach, who I hired in late January.  She's a young thing--only 21, but she likes to read and she likes to read the same kinds of books I like to read.  I'm not sure if we're good for each other or not, and I'm not sure if our husband's appreciate us enabling each other.

Rather than give a brief review of each title, Let me just tell you my most favorite book of the year:

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness.  What an excellent book.  Yes, it has witches, and vampires, but neither fit any of our typical images.  It was a fluke that I picked up this book, but it was so well written.  I was even frustrated to reach the end, because it ended on a cliff hanger.  I'm eagerly awaiting the sequel which should be published sometime in 2012. (And I'm not giving you a synopsis...you can look it up on Amazon or Barnes & Noble to see what it's about!  Just take my word for it...it's GOOD!)

My least favorite book, and the one that disappointed me the most was Jean Auel's final novel in her Earth's Children series, Land of Painted Caves.  I felt that she recycled most of the book and didn't have any real plot until the last 1/3 of the book.  If she'd dumped the first 2/3 and started with the ending, I think it would have been a much better ending to a series that first appeared in 1982.

I read lots of series this year.  Lots of Fantasy titles (thanks Mrs. Coach) and I read the entire Sookie Stackhouse books.  I still managed to fit in some non-fiction titles.  Some to make me think and question my beliefs about many things, and some just for fun.

I apologize for not correctly formatting my book titles.  I should underline them all, but I'm not.  On a few titles, I did make some additional comments, but not all.

Without further ado...here's the list...


Once a Princess  by  Johanna Lindsey


Deep Down by Karen Harper

Endless Forest  by Sara Donanti --this one WAS a great ending to a great series.  The epilogue had me in tears.

The Templar Salvation  by Raymond Khoury

Star Crossed  by Elizabeth Bunce

Last Templar by Raymond Khoury

Jesus Interrupted by Bart D. Ehrman

Misquoting Jesus by Bart D. Ehrman

Great and Terrible Beauty  by Libba Bray

Rebel Angels by Libba Bray

The Exile by Diana Gabaldon--this one is a graphic novel based on Outlander

The sweet far thing by Libba Bray

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins--an excellent series.  Who doesn't love a girl with a bow?

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Treachery in Death by J D Robb

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

Sapphique by Catherine Fisher

Lost to Time: unforgettable stories that History forgot by Martin W. Sandler

A discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

Sex, Time and Power by Leonard Shlain--his basic concept (in my mind) is that women were the first to develop a sense of time...That's not all, but that's what I remembered the most :)

Land of painted caves by Jean Auel

The Red Garden by Alice Hoffman

Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede

Searching for Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede

Calling for Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede

Talking to Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede

Chasing Fire by Nora Roberts

Rangers apprentice 10: Emperor of Nihon-Ja by John Flanagan

Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning

Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning

Faefever by Karen Marie Moning

Dreamfever by Karen Marie Moning

Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning

Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan--Riordan's books look at Mythology in a new way.  Makes it fun for kids to read these and then actual mythological stories.  They're fun, fun, fun!

Crying Blood by Donis Casey

Immortal by Gillian Shields

Betrayal by Gillian Shields

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Deadly Hollows

Dragon's Time by Todd McCaffrey

Smokin' seventeen by Janet Evanovich

Hold me closer Necromancer by Lish McBride

The Dark is Rising Series (6 books) Susan Cooper

Dead until Dark by Charlaine Harris

Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris

Club Dead by Charlaine Harris

Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris

The Sun Witch by Linda Winstead Jones

The Moon Witch by Linda Winstead Jones

The Star Witch by Linda Winstead Jones

All that is bitter & sweet by Ashley Judd

Mapping Human History by Steve Olson

Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris

Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris

All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris

From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris

Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris

Dead in the family by Charlaine Harris

Prince of Magic by Linda Winstead Jones

Prince of Fire by Linda Winstead Jones

Prince of Swords by Linda Winstead Jones

Untouchable by Linda Winstead Jones

Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris

Game of Thrones by George R R Martin

22 nights by Linda Winstead Jones

Bride by Command by Linda Winstead Jones

She-Wolves: the women who ruled England before Elizabeth by Helen Castor

New York to Dallas by J. D. Robb

Tears of the Sun by S. M. Stirling

Centuries of June by Keith Donohue

The Unquiet by JD Robb

Harvest by Tess Gerritsen

The Sookie Stackhouse Companion by Charlaine Harris

Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan

None wounded, none missing, all dead: story of E.B. Custer by Howard Kazanjian & Chris Enss

Ranger's Apprentice: The Lost Stories by John Flanagan

Growing and canning your own food by Jackie Clay

Stories of a self-reliant woman by Jackie Clay

The Next Always by Nora Roberts

Inheritance by Christopher Paolini

First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones

Second Grave on the Left by Draynda Jones

Sex with the Queen by Eleanor Herman--Yes, this is a book about sex.  Actually it's about Queens and their lovers.  Quite interesting.  Ms. Herman also wrote one about the Sex with Kings too.

Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich

The Scottish Prisoner by Diana Gabaldon

Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England by Ian Mortimer

Sword Dancer by Jennifer Roberson

Sword maker by Jennifer Roberson

Sword Breaker by Jennifer Roberson

Sword Singer by Jennifer Roberson

Sword Born by Jennifer Roberson

Sword Sworn by Jennifer Roberson

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Wagon Wheel Kitchens: food on the Oregon trail by Jacqueline Williams