Simply Living & Risen Acres

Christmas has come and we enjoyed every moment! How was your Christmas? I hope everything was wonderful for you all! I can say we all have full tummy's, have our strength, were safe and sound, and that in itself is a Christmas blessing. Did I take my Christmas decorations down? NO!  We always keep everything up till the end of the first week of January. I have to say this because it is really funny....in a way. My sister, two brothers, my sister in law, my mom, myself, and my husband were all in attendance. Out of all of us siblings we did not buy anything for any of us! We all bought for the kids only! Everyone is on a strict budget and the kids only got gifts. We all hugged, ate, looked at my chickens, had dessert, and stood around the fire and talked....that was our Christmas gift to each other, our time and company. Is there anyone else who had a Christmas where kids only got gifts? I am not embarrassed or ashamed by not being able to buy everyone gifts and neither were my sibl...

  Well! It's almost Christmas! I can not help but be excited! We are not having a big Christmas gathering but I can not help the anticipation building up in me. The farmhouse is as Christmas as it is going to get. The famhouse is ready for Christmas! I loved Christmas as a child and I still love Christmas as an adult because I can make Christmas as special as I want. The stores are so busy I could hardly walk thru with my shopping cart. I went to Walmart to get a gallon of milk and I got everything but the milk! Every cash register had a long line. It was crazy! I saw people shopping for gifts in the gift section and looking thru the Christmas shirts. It sure was a sight! I went this weekend to the grocery store to get some cream cheese and the stores were still crowded. Carts were full to the brim. As I was passing the frozen turkeys I figured I would look at some of the prices and it was $50! Who is paying fifty dollars on a turkey? I thought I had bought everything I needed for ...

  Almost Christmas! I can not believe it! Nine days till Christmas! Are you ready? I am not anywhere near ready for Christmas. So far I have taken down all my Fall decor in the house and put up the Christmas decorations. I am not a person who goes out and buys expensive decorations. Instead, I buy from yard sales....that's where people sale their belongings they do not want anymore and in front of their homes people put unwanted stuff on tables and sale their unwanted belongings really cheap. Thats me! I believe in stretching every dollar. While putting up my Christmas decor I realized I was missing my Christmas cookie jar, that my sister gave me a couple of years ago, and my fake poinsettias from my wedding twenty years ago. My husband and I searched the house and to no avail nothing! My husband was being so gentle with me about the missing box because I wanted to cry. I told my husband I am not even going to think about that missing box. Even now I....well let's just move on!...