Today was a wonderful and relaxing day.  With the exception of making a quick run into a local small town, we were home all day.  We stayed in bed until about 8 a.m. enjoying the warmth of the electric blankets, and listening to the rain fall on the roof.  We did go by the shoppe earlier in the day.  The new paint job on one side of the stucco looks wonderful, it will be beautiful once it is done.  The shoppe was broken into over the weekend, and thankfully nothing was taken.  I guess they were looking for valuables, and clothing and craft items don't figure into the equation.

I began cleaning up outside and brought the truck from the gate so that I could place trash in the back.  I do this to prevent the dogs from tearing it up, and to keep the truck running by moving it a couple of times a week.  Once the weather clears up, Lauren and I will fill the bed with hay to bring to the barn.  I picked up trash out of the yard, and tried to think of what to do with the boxes sitting outside the door.  Many are papers/records that I don't know what to do with...I don't have a safe place to store them, so I guess I need to burn them...I sure hope I don't need anything out of them some day...I am going to try and sort through them to see if I can spot any important ones to set aside. 

I spent the day cleaning (finally able to do so), sorting through old clothing and getting rid of what doesn't fit, going through tubs in the barn looking for blankets, sweaters and any Christmas decorations that weren't ruined.  20 years of Christmas decorations were for the most part ruined when they were left in the rain.  Something I don't appreciate, but I can't fix it.  These were memories that can't be replaced and it is hurtful, but it is just one in a long line of hurts, so I expect I'll get over it some day.

The girls spent the day in the playhouse doing school work and then playing Barbies.  James played with them for about an hour while I cleaned up in the front room, folding clothes, bringing in wood, sweeping floors and washing a few dishes until the water grew cold.

We made soup on the wood stove and cooked grilled cheese, along with milk, carrots and chocolate covered Oreos, it was a great dinner.  The stove has been going all day, and has kept the place nice and warm.  It is 75 in here now, though I expect it will be colder later tonight since the temps are supposed to drop, and the stove won't be stoked all night while we are sleeping.

Muffin has been sneaking in throughout the day to sit by the stove..she gets booted out again after a while.  I wouldn't mind her staying inside, but she has a horrible habit of tearing up trash, and peeing in the middle of beds.  So far, she hasn't done that here, but I don't want to take the chance.  Maybe I'll lock her in the bathroom so she'll be warm.  The kittens keep trying to sneak in too, every time the door is opened.  The goats have been penned up from the night, the dogs are sleeping on the porch to the playhouse out of the wind and rain, and the coyotes are LOUD. 

We received an early Christmas present from a friend in California.  She sent us two electric blankets that she had bought for her children a while back, and they have since moved out, and she had them around the house.  The girls are beyond excited, and we each now have our own electric blanket.  What a great present!

James and Lauren are having a ball.  Lauren is laying on the floor at the foot of the bed, and James keeps throwing himself off of the bed.  Lauren puts him back on the bed, and he crawls to the edge again, and flops onto her.  They are laughing and laughing...it is so funny.