Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! Today is also Chloe's first birthday! She is my minature dachshund.

A great time was had by all Christmas Eve! We celebrated with Prime Rib and all the trimmings, along with some really yummy Brandy Slushes for the adults.

We had the whole family here, Kimberly and Tim with their boys, Cody and Jacob.

Allison& Eric with their children, Henry Dean and Josie.

Crystal & her daughter, Catie.

With the two little boys it is always an interesting time for sure. Pecans were flying and cookies were crumbling! Santa made is annual Christmas Stocking delivery for everyone, but this year Momma/Grandma got one! (usually she is so busy helping Santa they forget about her LOL).

Little Josie slept and nursed through the whole evening..we anticipate that next year she will be just learning to walk and will keep us all on our toes! Cody and Catie, being the teenagers they are stayed under the radar, but I suspect they had a good time too.

We got the call during the evening that we are chick parents again, our friend was incubating some of our chicken eggs and we have new chicks. Christmas Eve chicks!

Dean and I wish everyone a Blessed Christmas!

Our new flock member has decided that the top of my head is the most comfortable ever. He is a baby and needs lots of cuddles often. Welcome to the flock, Blues!

Josie came home to Grandma and Grandpa Armstrong's for the first time today. She was so impressed with the Armstrong flock, she slept through most of the evening while her big brother, Henry, and cousin, Jacob ran Grandpa ragged running from the Daycare and back and watching everyone's favorite, Wizard of Oz.

Aunt Kimberly brought Mexican and Savannah was here to make the family complete.

Sunday morning, November 30, 2008 we woke to about 1/2inch of snow. The wild birds are busy at the feeders, and it is really cold outside. Advent begins with a pure white snow.

Welcome Josephine Alyssa! My youngest Granddaughter was born Nov.25 , weighing in at 7.6 pounds, 19 " long. She is beautiful, and her big brother, Henry Dean is a very proud big brother!

The finding of my Ring

My wonderful class ring is back on my finger! After going to the drain in Kansas City and watching some really nice city workers climb down in it and look...I decided to take another look around my house, and lo-and behold I found it. Thank God.

A very sad thing happened today.

I am so sick with sorrow at the loss of my beloved Class Ring. Somehow it slipped off of my finger sometime this evening. Kimberly, Jacob and I had just eaten dinner at Danny's in Kansas City and when we came out to get in the car we were freezing! Suddenly as I was getting in the car I felt the absence of my ring. We looked everywhere, including inside the restaurant, but can not find it. I feel like I have lost my best friend. My Mom and Dad bought it for me my Sophomore year at Lansing High School. They had given me a birthstone ring a year before and I had foolishly given it to a boy and never gotten it back., so my Dad told me he hoped that I would keep the Class Ring and not give it away.

I feel so empty without it., I have worn it for 40 years.