On the Eve of 2009

"A new year is unfolding - like a blossom with petals curled tightly concealing the beauty within."

-- Anonymous

Christmas in Ohio

We enjoyed our time with family in Ohio spent first at the McDaniel side of the family. Congratulations to Jennifer who is now engaged to Joel and planning a wedding for next September! It was good to catch up with everyone. The White Elephant gift exchange again this year was interesting and fun as usual!

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We traveled on to the Resor side of the family and spent time there. Evan is joining the Marines in January, and we are very proud of him!

Trey had written a special song just for Granny about the hornet stinging her on her lip at Pike Lake earlier this year. She wore gag lips in honor of the occasion!

Later that evening, the Throckmorton family stopped by and we were able to visit with them as well- which was nice.

It was a good time spent with family, but it is good to be home for- there is no place like home!

Christmas Time Is Here. . .

Traditionally, Christmas eve finds our family opening homemade presents from each other. This year was no exception. It was exciting to see the variety of items that everyone had been crafting. One of the larger gifts was an aviary that Trey crafted for Rachel from native oak. We put Mr. Bo-Jangles in it that night and he seemed to simply love it.
"The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there. . . " as we proceeded to retire and dream of sugar plums.

Heritage Woods Assisted Living Open House

We were asked to perform a few Christmas selections at the open house for the Heritage Woods Assisted Living Facility. We did a few vocal selections, but played a lot of instrumental music while the family of residents-to-be enjoyed a meal in the new dining area. The facility is very comfortable and will be a nice addition to our community.

Spanky Hank

A new addition to our farm arrived on Sunday, November 23. He had a long trip home, as he hailed from the Amish country near Arthur, about 3 hours north of us. His name was Spanky and we added a special touch to the end that made him fit into Providence Prairie just right- Hank. Spanky Hank is a full size riding mule. He came from an appaloosa mare and has a beautiful splash of white on his rump along with black spots all over and black striping down his legs. He is such fun to ride and work with. A mule gives the best of both worlds- the horse's and the donkey's! Stubborn as a mule is a common phrase, but mule lovers say that they are very smart, not stubborn- you just need to know how to work with them! We love Spanky Hank's magnificent big ears- watching them flop in a relaxing rhythm on a trail, or prick rigidly forward when he spots something interesting. When we look at a horse, they look as if they are missing something. . . those beautiful big expressive ears! While people may look at a colorful Appaloosa horse, everyone "oohs" and "aahs" over a colorful Appaloosa mule. We like they way a mule sounds, too—it's kind of a silly mix between the donkey bray and the horse whinny, but such fun!

We are proud of Spanky Hank, and yes we are proud to be mule people! If you ever traverse to Providence Prairie, Spanky Hank will be here to greet you as you pull up the lane with his loud whinny-haw!

A Day Full of Music

What a wonderful day! Christmas was in the air as we prepared ourselves for Providence Prairie's Christmas Music Recital. First Christian church in McLeansboro graciously lent us their building and it was decorated quite elegantly, thanks to Susan and Kathy. 2:00 arrived and the program got under way as Trey welcomed everyone. He thanked the church for hosting the event, the students for their hard work and dedication to practicing, the parents of younger students for taking their time to allow their children to learn music, and for all of the friends and family for listening to them perform. He told of the benefits that music provides and the dedication and self-discipline that practice takes.

Austin- Jolly Old Saint Nicholas

Kylee- Jingle Bells

Laurellen- Away in a Manger

Lauren- Good King Wenceslas

Dacin- Jingle Bells

Kaylene- We Wish You a Merry Christmas

Ed- Silent Night

Pat- Ode to Joy

(not pictured) Paxton (piano)- O Come Little Children

Kaleb- O Come, O Come Emmanuel

Jackson- Oh Come All Ye Faithful

Emaline- The Wassail Song

Dolly- Deck the Halls

Presley- O Christmas Tree

Garret- O Christmas Tree

Whitney- I'll Be Home for Christmas

Kaleb- O Christmas Tree

(not pictured) Emaline (piano)- Angels We Have Heard On High

Cassie- Carol of the Birds/ Noel, Noel

Corey and Cord- Ukrainian Carol Duet

Cory- Ash Grove

Bryce- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Clay- Hark the Herald Angels Sing

(not pictured) Sarah (guitar)- Have a Holly Jolly Christmas

Savannah- Here We Come A-Caroling

Macie- Away In a Manger

Mike- We Three Kings

(not pictured) Greg- Silver and Gold

Lisa- God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

Barry- Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

Callie- Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

April- The Little Drummer Boy

Jill- O Holy Night/What Child is This?

The 34 students that attended performed quite well and it was greatly enjoyed by the crowd of approximately 175. They each put a lot of work into their recital pieces and we were pleased with their accomplishments.

Delicious refreshments followed including cookies and mulled cider. It was a wonderful ending to a wonderful event. We are proud of our students and pray that God blesses each of them as they use their musical gifts!

December Decorating

Our cabin is warm and cozy, and ready for the Christmas season. We spent an enjoyable Saturday cleaning, and decorating- inside and out! What old fashioned festivities were enjoyed that day! After traipsing out into our woods, and finding the perfect tree, we chopped it with an axe and carried it back to the cabin to decorate. We had a wonderful time together listening to the Christmas music playing as we decorated, and enjoying each others' company. Our cabin is quite festive and looks like a winter wonderland!