It is Officially the Holiday's at my House

I don't now about you all, but what marks the holiday season at my house is the first offical fire in the fireplace.  Today was the day for the first offical fire.  Yes, last night we did have a fire, but only a chimney cleaning log to prepare the chimney.  Today was the offical fire.  Sent my kids outside for the brush for the firestarter, and to load up the log bin.  I then placed the dried brush in the fireplace, and with one match the fire was lit.  No fancy firestarters here, just one piece of paper, plenty of small twigs, some larger twigs, and small logs, and a larger log.  A little flame, and like magic, poof, a roaring fire.  All my tree cutting this summer has left me with some nice cherry wood to burn.  I know that it is green, and not the best for a fire, but I do have some wood left over from last year, and the green stuff will just have to do until I can break down and buy a couple of cords of wood for the year.  It's just so amazing how much warmer the house is with the fire going.  The temp in the house is the same, but it just feels so much warmer.  I don't know about you, but driving down the road smelling wood burning stoves going just gets me in the holiday mood.  Something about the smell just reminds me of winter and the approaching holidays.  Need to have something to get me in the mood. 
It has been an extremely rough year.  First my dad dying, then a dear family friend dying, now that same friends dog is extremely ill and the vet is strongly encouraging euthenasia.  My girls are very upset at the thought, but understand that she is very old (14yr old), very sick, and is having a hard time breathing.  Hard lessons learned way too early in life for my kids.  Also, on Wednesday, my childhood home is going to settlement.  I am very torn over the thought.  Just so many memories in that stupid house.  The many holidays celebrated there, the family gatherings, the stacking of hundreds of cords of wood, learning how to raise chickens and rabbits, the yearly chicken/rabbit kill with the hours spent plucking/skinning and gutting those stupid chickens and rabbits.  I moved there when I was 6years old, and almost all of my childhood memories are from the house. 
Well, I better get off this computer, as there is so much left to do in the house -cleaning bathrooms, making fruitcakes and rum balls, putting up a ceiling, and as always.....LAUNDRY!!!  At least the later is now much easier, as my one daughter is now the laundry queen.  She is the only one who knows how to work the washer, and she enjoys doing it...I say, let her do it.

Typical Day in My Life

Today was just another day in my house.  Too much to do, and not enough time to do it.  My kids and I started the day off by going to church.  We then went to the grocery store.  When we got home, I decided that I needed to get the fireplace ready for a fire.  That included cleaning the chimney.  I had already bought the chimney brush, now I needed to climb out onto the roof and get it done.  First, I had to move that heavy cast iron fireplace out of the way, so that I could get the the chimney.  See, years ago, before I had this house, there was a chimney fire and a new metal chimney was installed.  Well, metal chimney inserts are one piece, and you can not acess the chimney from the outside clean out door, only from the inside.  So, the fireplace was moved out of the way, and the chimney was accessed.  I then inserted the chimney brush and climbed out onto the roof and pulled the chimney cleaning brush to the top of the chimney.  Granted, not the way a professional would do it, but it worked.  I then made sure that all of the fallen debris was cleaned out of the chimney.  Reinstalled the fireplace, and then spray painted the fireplace with high temp fireplace paint.  It now looks so pretty, and we now have a fire going.  Granted, this is not for everyone, and not recommended.  It's just what I did today.  After that was all done, me and the kiddos got cleaned up and had a wonderful easy dinner.  Now, I am just sitting back enjoying the extra warmth coming from the fire in a clean chimney.  No, I don't do house calls.

November Already???

How can this be?  How can it possibly be November already?  Turned the clocks back this past weekend, and now night comes before supper.  This is the one part of winter that I can do without.  Too many dark hours. 

Kids were at their dad's for halloween, and for once I did not make their costumes.  I just couldn't get into it this year.  So, their dad had the kids make their own costumes.  My oldest decided to go as a laywer, my youngest, a golfer.  The girls, well, one was a dog, and the other a remote control.  I am not one to spend money on costumes, I much rather see creativity.  Wish I could have seen their creations.  One thing I do not like about living where I live....I never get any trick-or-treaters.  In the 10yrs I have lived here, I have had a grand total of ZERO trick-or-treaters.  Since my house sits on a major road, it does not lead itself to visitors on halloween.  Also, it is not the best place to send the kids out on the hunt for treats.  Their dad lives in a wonderful little neighborhood with street lights and sidewalks and houses sitting on 1/4 acre lots, so lots of knocking on doors.  I miss that.  Glad my kids have a good place to go.  Growing up, I never had anywhere to go.  There were 6 houses on the street I grew up on, including mine.  Mind you, the street was close to a mile long. 

Haven't been up to much of anything lately.  Since the kids have started school, things are a bit crazy around here. 

I can't believe it will be CHRITmas in a few short weeks...how can this be?  I am so not ready for it!!!!