It's Up!

Second Post of the Day

Fresh snow! There's nothing like the beauty of it.

That reality has never lasted at our home for very long, though.

Between kids, dogs, and sometimes horses, the snow quickly shows evidence of those who call that patch of ground home. And I don't mind that one bit.

With the Friday Friends looking on,

Craig and I assembled our new tree.

We got it free from a neighbor - her father had passed away, leaving her with two trees she did not need. She gave us the nine footer and it is a behemoth! Not only did we need a ladder to assemble it and put the lights on, 

but we needed my grabber tool as well. It's good for picking up dog toys, clothes on the floor, grabbing cookies off a plate to beat the grands, and lifting strands of lights high up onto the Christmas tree.

All told, it took 120 feet of lights to cover that tree.

Which left us with 260 feet of lights still to use. (We'd had no idea how many lights we'd need, Menards had them on sale, and well... we've got lights!)

My husband loves Christmas lights, and if he's willing to string 'em, I'm willing to go around plugging them in and out every day.

I was glad I'd turned him loose with lights and ladder.

He's still working (this one needs some clips at the top) but the house is looking very festive. 

Teacher Daughter Lisa got a live tree and we went over to her home and Craig helped her get it into its stand. 

Then we picked up some dinner and watched Lisa's favorite movie of all, White Christmas.

Nash really wanted to cuddle with me on the couch and I was willing, but the couch is new and dogs are not yet allowed on it. I gave him a pillow to help him be comfortable, but he stood and implored me with those big brown eyes for quite a while.

Finally he gave up and cuddled with my shoe instead. Silly boy!

Last day to enter for the December Give Away!

Enter by commenting on any blog post published on 12/12 and through today by 11:59 PM Eastern.

The winner gets to choose their prize! I'll spin to win Monday or more likely, Tuesday.

Stay 'tooned!

A Memorial to my Mom

On Thursday, October 12, the Tippecanoe County Historical Association planted a tree in my mother's memory on the battlefield. What an honor that is! It is a national monument as well as a cemetery for those who died in The Battle of Tippecanoe. (My mother was a historian who preserved much of our area's history by researching and publishing books about it.)

The tree is a beautiful burr oak, and if things go well, it should live 250-300 years!

We gathered around Allen Nail, head groundskeeper and the man who had the idea for the memorial, and he told us a little bit about the tree, then invited us to add mulch and water and then spend as much time there as we wished.

 Great Uncle Rick and Ian began by adding some water. 

I love how the tree is near the highway so we can drive by and see Mom's tree whenever we wish!

The idea that two of my mother's great-grandchildren helped plant the tree and then may return over the years with their children, grandchildren, and maybe even great-grandchildren, brings tears to my eyes.

 Mila is such a big help!

 The kids LOVED those water jugs.

I hope to go out every October for the rest of my life and have my photo taken with the tree. I am also going to go back out and measure the trunk's circumference - I think it will be fun to track its growth over time.

My siblings Jenny, Leslie, and Steve. Leslie and I have always been horsey girls, Jenny not so much, and Steve always found horses to be useful fodder to tease his sisters.

So, as adults now, of course, we had to do Steve's old "horse feet" move at him. He would drum his hands as though they were hooves and neigh at me when I was a child and DRIVE ME NUTS. Now, it is a wonderful family memory that makes us all laugh.

 These kids worked hard planting that tree!

I love that there is a living memorial to my mother in a place that holds great meaning to her as well as to the rest of our family. And I hope this tree is important to future generations of our family as well.

Horsey Holiday Tree

Not only do I have a horsehead wreath on my front door, I also have a horsey ornament tree!

I debated putting it out - only one of our six children will be here for the holidays, so our celebration will be on a much smaller scale. On the other hand, with no grandchildren dancing about with sugarplums on their minds, I can put some breakables out and not worry.

I still have a crate of horsey ornaments that I left in the closet, and I am hoping to find the Breyer American Pharaoh ornament under my Christmas tree December 25.

I need a bigger ornament tree for 2016!