Snow everywhere

It's cold, icy and snowing in many places where it doesn't usually. I'm hearing from family in OR, AZ and OH about the snow and extreme cold.  It's normal for us in NY to experience this weather, but we did have a water line to our pump outdoors break a week ago.  It's the main pump that we use to fill buckets of water, to give our chickens and other animals. My husband spent several hours digging a hole around it, about 6 feet down and repairing it.  Thankfully we had a day that was relatively warm.

My mom gave each of her younger grandkids these blankets with their name on it for a Christmas gift.  They love them.  

Above, this is the wood framework for a shower that we'll have in the bigger house.  Everything is coming along nicely.

All in flannel shirts.  We drove to an Amish store this past Saturday with our Amish neighbor.  My husband had been helping to paint the interior of that store the week of January 1st.  Painting is one job that will pick up as the weather warms up in the spring and he plans to do it more.  

George got a gift of truffles and The Wind in the Willows from Bishop Luke on Nativity after the Liturgy.  Later that day, we went to a friend's house for dinner.  There were a total of 28 there, which includes 3 babies under 1 year. The kids played Twister, we talked, sang all the old Christmas carols, drank egg nog and ate cookies (my favorite were the thumbprint cookies with jam and lemon bars).  It was wonderful.

Hope you are warm and well where you are!