Golden Delicious' Birthday

Oh My, yet another child is another year older and wiser.  They keep growing up!  Golden Delicious started her celebration by going out to dinner with Grandpa and Grandma.  They said she could invite any friend she wanted to.  She chose Braeburn.  She loved her night out on the town and brought home some incredible cheesecake, which I tried to steal from her, but alas, was unable to.

The actual cake and candle blowing out was a bit out of the ordinary since we didn't have any candles.  I NEVER have birthday candles and plan to buy a 3 year supply.  We improvised and she used a long match.

G.D. is going to show a pig this year in 4-H.  "Raising Pigs Successfully" is a book I know everyone will want, and so all I will add is that Braeburn thought this would be a great gift  at the next baby shower I am invited to.  Boys are strange.  

Happy Birthday Golden Delicious!

The Christmas Story

Christmas Cookies

Granny Smith thinks sugar cookies are necessary to celebrate holidays.  (I don't know why because I never make them.)  But he really wanted some to begin the Christmas season, so Mr. Bechtel called his mom for a good recipe and they got to work.

First they had to double the recipe.

Then they had to roll out the dough.

And finally they got to shape the cookies.

Too bad I didn't get a picture of them all being eaten!

11 year old Scouts

Happy Birthday to The Spy Twins!!

Nova Spy and Prairie Spy celebrated their birthday last week and got decked out in their new duds.  Grandma sewed their name on their uniforms and everything.  They looked sharp. 

Happy Birthday Boys!

New Blog

I am pleased to announce that Golden Delicious has created her own blog.  Please go visit and say hello.

www.countrytothecore.blogspot.com

Gift Wrap

Everyone has been busy creating gifts.  Granny Smith had his list made up early.  All his presents are wrapped and ready to go.

It's a good feeling to be prepared.  I wonder when Mr. Bechtel will start his list?

Harvesting Carrots

Ah, winter in Idaho... All my gardening books say you can over winter carrots in the ground, but from personal experience I know this does not work here.  The problem is a combination of cold and mice.  We are overrun with mice in winter.  I don't know why the welfare cats hang out in the warm barn and don't do their job of digging through freezing snow at -2 temp. to catch the mice...

So I went out to harvest the carrots before our first big snow.  

This is what a carrot should look like.   And a few of mine did.

 

But this is what most of them looked like - compliments of the mice.  Look at my beautiful harvest!  Gnawed away by mice!  I threw them to the chickens.  It always makes me feel better not to call these disasters a complete waste.  Thank goodness for the chickens.