Christmas at Roselawn

Kiara had to follow clues to find her gift from Santa. One was hidden "where Baby Jesus was born" (bet you didn't know that a Diet Coke can also pose as a shepherd!)

The "scary" old doll held the last clue. (Kiara grabbed that one and ran!)

Then she opened...

A pink BB gun! ...And couldn't wait to practice shooting it outside. The smoke from our burning leaves added a neat effect! Talk about a smokin' gun!

Family and friends came over in the afternoon. The weather was so nice that we moved the party outside. "Christmas in the Country" events included burning leaves, jumping on a pogo stick, playing Bocci ball, shooting the bb gun, and "rooster catching". (My mom's friend and her Uncle Donald ended up catching it as he roosted in the tree later that evening. The constantly crowing cock is now cooped up in our henhouse.)

Then some MORE friends came over with their two girls and they acted out the Christmas story for the adults... the TRUE meaning of Christmas.

Later in the week two of Paul's sisters and their daughters came for a visit over the weekend.

I did lots of cooking and baked an apple pie with the gift our long-term B&B guest gave us. A pie plate with a blackbird in the middle. It had a little hole in its beak to release the steam. How cute, huh?

Now time to look forward to celebrating New Year's. Kiara and I plan to go over to my mom's since Paul is playing drums tomorrow night.

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!