Brrrrwinterrrrr!

We had our first -20 night last night. The kids slept like little logs, they didn't even wake up to crawl into mom and dad's bed this morning (our NEW king sized bed yay!). The wood burning stove is roaring hot and it feels like a good day to sit inside and spin a yarn. BUT the goats need milking, and bunnies feeding, and we have to make our biweekly trip into town today. I'm glad I planned this year to dry the goats off for Jan and Feb, the coldest months of the year. Then they can put all their energy into growing their babies that are due in March and April, and then I can spend the mornings in my housecoat and slippers (yes, spinning yarns) :)

Even with the cold I can't help loving this time of year and the challenges it can bring. Thinking up inventive ways to keep ourselves and the animals warm, thinking up beautiful handwoven cloths to keep my appreciative customers warm, and spending days camped out in the house waiting for a cold spell to pass. It's really the only time of year when I can sit in the house all day and not feel guilty about putting off all that work outdoors. There's just not a whole lot you can do with the ground frozen, a thick layer of snow, and kids losing mittens in their valiant attempt to get frostbite!

Through all the fall months we scurry around in a self-inflicted mode of panic, preparing and building and stock-piling for the winter, making sure the animals will be secure, storing away bales of hay, dusting off all the heated water dishes, and reinforcing cozy nests for each of them, and now that winter is here, it sort of feels like "whew, we made it"!

I also like to teach classes in the winter and my first set of beginner and intermediate classes are set up for January. I still have to weave a sample for the intermediates and make sure my notes don't have errors. And I'm determined to finish scrapbooking Rowans baby book. And then there's Christmas! Next week we'll be pulling out all the Christmas decorations for both my house and our grandma's house. Between the two places, my kids and I decorate about 7 Christmas trees :)