After working last Saturday and many late evenings during the week, we were able to finish the living room floor, hallway, and the new sheeting that goes under the vinyl. The flooring crew arrived on Wednesday morning and surprised us when they said they were done on Thursday. We all loved the way the floor turned out! I appreciate how easy the floor is to clean. I was thankful that the installer told us to be careful about moving things onto the new floor. He said that furniture could cut or scratch the floor. That wasn’t something I had considered since we only had vinyl in our bathroom in the past. We also learned that it’s very important to put pads on everything so furniture doesn’t scratch or sink in and make an indentation in the floor.

Today, as we were eating breakfast, my husband said that he thought we should get out of the camper. We were all very surprised and greatly excited! The temperatures were to be down below zero and while the camper is comfortable with its extra insulation, it gets cold at below zero temperatures. My oldest daughter could hardly contain her excitement. She got started right after breakfast with moving things over and worked tirelessly most of the day. We reminded her that she better not overdo it, but she kept on working. The rest of the kids were great help as well. Everyone was busy cleaning, polishing, rug doctoring furniture, moving things in, and organizing. We took some time to put up our small Christmas tree and decorations. A few years ago I bought a smaller tree and decreased my decorations to one medium sized box. Decorating was so enjoyable since it only took a few hours to accomplish. In the past, it took a few days to put everything out, and I felt overwhelmed by all the stuff. Annika and Asher spent a lot of the day running and screaming with excitement around the circle of our house. We all enjoyed having extra space to spread out. That evening, doing our Catechism in the living room was so comfortable and cozy. The best part about moving into the house was being able to fit everyone around the same table. We make it a priority to always sit around the table for meals. This is where some of our best conversations take place. In the camper we were together, but there wasn’t enough room for everyone to squeeze around the small table.

Our animals have all done well despite the colder temperatures. We are providing extra hay to them on the pasture they are grazing to extend the time on the area and also provide organic matter to some of the less desirable places. Since Kailey’s Nubian goats looked like they were getting close to having their babies, her and I decided it would be best to get them in the barn. We try to avoid babies this time of year, but her goats didn’t breed right away like we had hoped. During this process we noticed her new Boar goat had loose poop on her bottom. I carried her to the barn while Kailey led her two goats behind me. A few days of apple cider vinegar in her water took care of the problem and she is now back to normal. Kailey’s goat Bubble, “popped,” as Kailey said, on Friday, December 16. Kailey discovered it soon after the two were born, but one of the goats died soon after delivery. Since it was so cold, Kailey got a heat lamp and I grabbed the hair dryer. In the bitter cold temperature we dried the goat off and checked on it several times throughout the day. We also wanted to make sure it was nursing. We worked with the baby, but it didn’t seem to be interested in sucking. In the evening Kailey came in and said she finally saw the baby nursing and that she had discovered that it was a boy. We were so excited!

I have been thinking about the time I used to spend at my great grandparents place. They lived on the farm place, that we recently moved from, until health problems forced them to move to town. I remembered how she would write in her diary every night before she went to bed and I often wondered why. As an adult I’m starting to realize how easy it is to forget things that have happened in the past, so I set a goal for myself to take 10 minutes each evening to write about our day, and share some of it on our blog. Maybe nobody else will read it, but I believe our family will enjoy going back and remembering the past and what the Lord has done in our lives. We have so much to be thankful for and as the Christmas season approaches, I am reminded of the greatest gift of all. That Christ died for us, to pay the price for sinners like me, so that we could have eternal life for those that believe in Him. Merry Christmas!