"Pre-" Christmas Post

     I had planned to wait until after Christmas to post a Christmas blog but decided that because a lot has happened since my Thanksgiving post the Christmas post would be too long. I will write another one after our entire Christmas season. Here in Vicksburg the kids have always had their individual family Christmases in the morning and then we all get together at our house later on Christmas day and exchange gifts. The week-end after Christmas is always the "Theriot Christmas." We will head down south to Gueydan and celebrate again with our extended Theriot family. The next blog will include comments and pictures of all of our celebrations!

     We have still been so busy picking pecans. We only get to go to the farm every few days, and when we do we are still amazed at how many pecans there are--and the trees are still loaded! Landon and I went last week-end and picked as long as we could; we ended up with 53 pounds in a little more than an hour. It's so hard to quit picking when they are all over. I'm including a picture which shows my foot surrounded by pecans. This is only one variety. Every step you took there were many, many pecans on the ground just waiting to be picked up! It's hard to leave them, but we only have so much time.

  
      The day before yesterday, I sold almost 200 pounds of the smaller, native pecans at a really good price at Vicksburg Farm Supply . Later that afternoon, I took all four grandsons and Elizabeth back down to the farm and we picked another 75 pounds. Of course, it was quite muddy because we had had a storm a day or so before that and, unfortunately, my car got stuck in the mud and is still down there. I called AAA, but they couldn't even get it out. Got to get someone with heavy farm equipment to pull it out to the road and then AAA can come tow it if we need to. "Merry Christmas" to me! The pecans are still in the car, too! Oh, well, another lesson learned huh. This picture of Landon by the car was not taken the day we got stuck, but that's about where the car is now, bogged down in a whole lot of mud!

Daddy helping Megan spread icing

Enjoying the fruit of their labor!

   

We started a Christmas tradition when the first grandkids were old enough. Every year all the kids come to Grammy's and we bake and decorate Christmas cookies. This year was Megan's first year to be included, and she had a ball. Of course, I think she ate more icing than she used for decorating. It makes a huge mess, but it is such a lot of fun.

      Of course, the boys are all too "big" for that sort of stuff.  You can see how they spent the time. The boys did cut, bake,and decorate one cookie each to eat on baking day,

Top plate, Lizzie's "art"; bottom, Megan's

      which was probably a good idea because I don't think the girls shared their handiwork with the boys once they got home.   

   Megan is not new to "baking"; she and "Chef" Luke made a cake together one afternoon before school was out for the holidays.

I think Megan eats more frosting than she puts on the cake.

The battle of the chefs!!

        This last picture is my favorite picture (so far) this Christmas season. This holiday season has, for some reason, been more difficult for me than the last three. I cried most of Thanksgiving week-end, and find myself doing the same thing when driving and listening to Christmas music. Russell loved this time of the year, and we enjoyed it together so much, especially because of the grandchildren. I am so grateful I have them all here; They are my Christmas spirit!

Grammy and Megan looking at Christmas catalog; she points to pictures and says, "I want dat!"

          Merry Christmas to all my dear friends and relatives reading this blog. Thank you, and I love you all.