At the creamery we reached our yearly income goal that we set forth for the bank (unfortunately, the bank gave up on us too soon and now we are "bank shopping" as we have to find a new bank in the very near future), we have been working diligently as a family to reach the cash flow ration that banks are looking for these days, and trying desperately to get rid of any unnecessary debt. Our sales for the 4th quarter have been phenomenal so we have been able to slowly work thru some of these previous issues, so I think we will be in the right place for a new bank to take over. We have about 2200 customers, and without advertising have seen an average of about 15-20 new "starts" per week over the past 6 weeks...(I just pray this continues, as we are now entering into our "slow season" and will need this momentum to get us thru).
We got our first snow of the season earlier this month and although I typically do not like to drive in the fluffy white stuff I did attempt to take the kids to and from Grams house, and I did OK in the morning (not saying I did not slip and slide some, but I at least did not hit anything), but on the way home that evening, I was almost back to the farm on a straight flat part of the road and I hit a patch of ice and did a 180 and ended up on the side of the road in a ditch...Sophia thought it was FUN and asked me if we could do that again...Tony arrived a few minutes later and used his truck and the straps to get me back up on the road, we then parked my van at Mom's and he drove me home...(I was pretty much finished with driving by that point anyway!)
Gabe had his Boy Scout holiday party and received his very first pinewood derby car kit, that Tony and him could work on together. That should be fun to see how he creates his first car. Tony says his first few years of doing it the car was basically a block of wood with rounded corners that had wheels on it, I think they can be a bit more creative than that!
We attended various Christmas parties, the first being for the extended Sowers family which was held this year at my cousin Jessica's house in Hagerstown. We had a HUGE brunch meal and then all the great-grandkids opened gifts. (Tevyn and Trevor Sowers, Samuel Sowers, Sophia and Gabe Brusco, and Jereamiah Sowers, (missing Macie Sowers)) We really need to make more of an effort to get all these cousins together more often this year!
We celebrated Christmas with my parents on Sunday this year, Mom made her seafood newburg and we had steamed shrimp too, along with holiday specialities like her rice pudding, and lots of cookies...there was way more food than family to eat it, so we got to eat it for leftovers the next day at lunch! The kids all got 50 gold dollars from the US Mint, since my parents insist the kids needed absolutely nothing, the coins were the best gifts which can be enjoyed later. I got a new sweater and Tony was given money to take us out to dinner...(which we will use on our trip next month to Florida)
Tony's family came into town for the holidays, which the kids REALLY look forward too, because Gabe can practice his chess skills on Pop Pop, and play hours of Wii Sports! Mom, Sophia and I baked Mom's famous Fruitcake cookies and then the kids both made gingerbread houses...this has become a yearly tradition. We enjoyed many meals together, some here at home and others out, no matter were we went the conversation flowed as easily as the wine! (thanks so much to Dad!) The kids received new bedsheet sets and puzzles and Tony got an Ipod radio and I got the serving platters and spoons I had asked for, so we had a very joyous time together. We all attended Christmas Eve service at our church in Frederick after a wonderful dinner at Carraba's! As always the visit is too short, and Mom and Dad must fly back home to California!
Christmas Day was our BIGGEST day celebrating, as the kids opened their Santa gifts (their BIG gifts of this Christmas would be the Nintendo DS and a few games for Gabe and for Sophia the Fisher Price "EasyLink" with 9 keys), and then we headed to Grandma's to open gifts and have lunch together and then soon after that we headed to West Virginia to spend time with Jon and his family where we enjoyed another meal together and the kids opened the last gifts of the season!
Tony and I exchanged gifts this year, however he had my gift to him all figured out weeks before Christmas, my gift on the other hand, he made a guessing game out of to see if I could guess what it was prior to Christmas morning...these are the clues I was given...(one per day, over the course of about 2 weeks)
A Collection
Tortoise and Hare
Fiery Ash
White, multicolored
Magic
1 and 3
teardrop
school
bubble
bird
Disney Cruise
It has been guessed...
My gift was a pair of blue topaz earrings and the newest Harry Potter movie. I got him an Ipod Nano.
As always the Holidays come and go way too fast...leaving me with a bit of post-holiday blues, but now we can all look forward to DISNEY!!!!
