Welcome December!

 And just like that, December has arrived.  But, before we jump ahead to holiday preparations... let's take a  quick look back at the last few days here on the farm.  

Nibbles before the meal

We had our Thanksgiving celebration on Friday with our farm family - some are family by blood and some are adopted family.  All are dear to our hearts!  Our table was filled to overflowing....

with a second table running perpendicular into the living room... the "kids" table.

It took several days to prepare our feast - with extra sides brought by others - and it took a very short time to devour the feast.  The food is secondary, though.  The laughter and stories that are shared around the table are the most important part of the day.   This fellowship with loved ones is a precious gift and one that fills my heart with joy.

This little one made her own pancakes from scratch... with a little direction!

Of course, to the youngsters, dessert is always the favorite part of the meal!

It was wonderful to have a few days with our Carolina grands!

It turned sharply cold this weekend... with ice crystals covering everything.  The greenhouse windows were decorated...

This is a close-up of frost crystals on a dried hydrangea... so delicate... so perfect... so magical!

Wren had a chance to help with farm chores...

each morning walking Red back from the pasture by herself.

Saturday, I took a couple of the girls out for Shop Local Saturday.  We have a plethora of unique country shops in our area that are so much fun to visit during the holiday season.  A lovely surprise was a small Christmas market at this beautiful farm.

It is a lovely estate that is used as an events venue.

They had horse-drawn carriage rides...

and a craft fair inside the barn...

Sunday was filled with more family celebration at the "Littles" house... a football party.

Today, once again, the house is quiet.  We'll take a couple days to clean and catch up with laundry... and then we will proceed with decorating for the Christmas holiday.  I hope to get the soap wrapped and labeled by mid week and up on the blog for purchase.  Stay tuned....  and no worries... I've made even more yummy scents for January.  It's going to be a clean 2025!