Hello! Merry Christmas!
What a week it’s been! Between Sunday Mass and Christmas Mass, one sick baby, and two girls who sing in children’s choir, we went to four Masses in two days. All were lovely, as this Christmas has been thus far. Last Christmas, we had only been in our new home for a few weeks and everything felt strange. This year we are settled in and Jonny installed our old mantle on Christmas Eve so that stockings could be hung. This is home, and I’m so grateful.
Ashley Packard says
I love that your son got to experience provident good for your family. We are big hunters, and our kids love helping “grocery shopping” in the wild. We haven’t bought ground beef in 12 years, and occasionally I will buy steaks for a special occasion, but we mainly eat deer meat. I use ground deer meat in any recipe that calls for ground beef. I also cook a bacon wrapped tenderloin on Christmas Day, as our family tradition, and it’s rubbed down with fresh rosemary, salt, pepper, and brown sugar. I bake it low and slow over vegetables and red wine. When I pull the meat from the roasting pan to rest I strain the vegetables and red wine and put it in a small pot and set it to a simmer until it’s reduced and it makes the best sauce!
Helena says
My husband has a really good marinade for venison, I’ll have to ask him for it. We also grind quite a bit–any chewy/tough bits, or cuts that we might not know what do do with–and make meatballs. Either mix with ground beef or some pork fat, as venison by itself is super lean and tends to make dry meatballs.
The photo of you standing in your kitchen knitting made me laugh. I wish I could do that, but I’d end up dropping a DPN (or the ball of yarn) into dinner!
Emily says
Merry Christmas dear Ginny and every good wish for 2018 to you and your family xx
Emily DeArdo says
Praying for your mom, Ginny!
Rachel Wolf says
Thinking of you and your mom, my dear. I’ll be holding her in healing love and light. As an aside, we also had bacon-wrapped venison for Christmas, made by Pete. So delicious (says this one-time decade long vegetarian). Merry Christmas and happy birthday, friend. Love, Rachel
ginny says
Thanks, Rachel! And, I love that we had the same Christmas dinner!!!
Marion says
Thank You for sharing your Christmas celebration. I love visiting with your family. All of your children are beautiful. Wishing you a HAPPY BIRTHDAY. Have a day of joy and a year of blessings. Will keep your mom in my prayers. HAPPY,HEALTHY,BLESSED 2018.
Marion ad family
Sophie says
I am very grateful for the dress discussion you had with your daughter. We need more of those.
I am sorry about your mom’s health issue. She is beautiful and I hope 2018 will be gentle on her.
Even if I am no fan of meat/hunting, I am pleased to witness Gabe’s resourcefulness.
Entering the library and witnessing piles of agited children playing video games makes me sad.
And finally, your youngest seems to be adored by all her siblings.
Do you realise how well you and your husband are doing?
Linda says
Thank you for sharing Christmas Day photos. I thought about taking photos for about a nano second and then got so busy I even lost that second..sigh. I will lift your mum in prayer. Blessings and peace in the New Year ~ Linda
eva says
You and your family had a wonderful Christmas. I’ll pray for your mother. I’ve lost mine with melanom cancer some years ago and today would have been her 75th birthday.
So nice and heartwarming to see your kids growing and the whole family living and loving together. And so sweet kittens! We love to go to the night Christmas Mass in a little monastery church in our city. Have a good time and all best wishes for your Mom.
Love to you and your familiy. Eva
Jennifer says
Thank you for sharing a glimpse of your beautiful Christmas. We will pray for your mother.
Richard (in Charlotte, NC) says
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Thank you for sharing your family with us again this Christmas.
Best wishes for a HAPPY NEW YEAR and prayers for a recovery for your Mom.
Diana Naldoza says
What a lovely post, Ginny. Thank you for sharing your family.
I will keep your Mom, all of those who love her and the medical team that will be caring for her in my prayers.
Blessings to you and yours, Diana
Mary says
Have a Happy Birthday tomorrow ?
Meghan says
Ginny, what a lovely Christmas you’ve had! The slackline is such a great idea. I too prefer neutrals, but perhaps the neon color will prevent kids from trying to run through the line full speed ahead!
We are currently battling kidney cancer with our two year old. His prognosis is strong, but cancer is still club that no one wants to be a part of. I think that most kidney cancers are quite curable, and thankfully with the use of several integrative therapies he has handled the chemo and radiation very well. I am sorry to hear about your mom and will be keeping her and you all in our prayers!
ginny says
Your son is in my prayers! (and I suspect you are right about the color of the slackline–it makes sense that it needs to stand out so people won’t run into it!)
Angie Williams says
Hi Ginny, I couldn’t agree more that the world has become so materialized. I try my hardest to refrain from it. Your mantel is wonderful, I’m sure you cherish it very much. I live in Minnesota and grew up on venison in fact Deer Hunting Season is a holiday of it’s own in these parts. Canned venison is my favorite. It’s easy, versatile, and when you need to make something quick it’s perfect. We do make our own sausage, brats and burger. The burger is really good but I have found that you need a little fat to it as venison is very lean, I add bacon parts to it and it adds a nice flavor to the meat. Happy venison meal making to you. warmly Angie
Karen says
I will pray for your mom during my daily morning prayers, rest assured my prayers are powerful! Looks like a lovely Christmas!!
Michelle says
Hi! Did you make the lovely nightgown or purchase? It’s exactly what my 10yo was hoping for and we couldn’t find. Thank you!
Ginny says
Hi Michelle! I found that nightgown on eBay. It’s a lady’s size small, and I was afraid it wouldn’t fit, but it works. Beatrix wants one too, but I’m afraid that I’ll have to sew hers. (And most likely that won’t happen…) It’s hard to find 100% cotton flannel gowns for children! Everything is polyester…
Eileen says
Such a lovely Christmas you and your family had, love reading this post. Congrats to Gabe for “bring home the dinner” we have friends who hunt and they so graciously share with us…we love the meat, learning curve on cooking though. Sorry to hear about your Mom, will keep her in our prayers.
Tell those girls they did an amazing job on the scarfs, they are expert knitters.
Oh, and I think I wore the small green dress for Christmas, a green linen-so festive and comfy.I saw it in one of your post , linen green dress and ordered it for myself. You’r a trend setter!
Penelope says
Ginny I am so sorry to hear about the heath concerns with your mom. That is so hard. I will add you all to my prayers …. Where does the time go indeed, I have a few years on you 😉 and …. yeah. Where does it go … treasure every minute. Hug those babies (and teens!).
Martha says
I’m so sorry to hear about your mother! So hard around the holidays, especially. We will pray for her and you all. Christmas looks lovely in your home–even the neon slack line set! My husband was just talking about getting that for our kids. I bet the neon will fade pretty quickly under the elements and become a bit more muted soon enough 😉
Jenny says
I think we’d starve if it weren’t for my husband and children hunting. And we have the same rule of hunting, we eat what we kill. Thanks be to God our freezers are full and we were able to give some away to a needy family! I use venison in place of beef just making sure I season it well or it will taste gamey. Tell Gabriel congratulations from a momma of hunters 🙂
Karen says
Oh, Ginny. My dad, 66, was diagnosed out of the blue this september with stage 4 kidney cancer. It had already spread everywhere. He was gone by nov. 18. I am hoping the opposite is true of your mom. Treasure every moment. Healing thougjts your way, and may i advise look into a sugar and carb free diet for her stat? Hugs…xxx
Gracie says
Merry Christmas! Beautiful knitting, beautiful children, beautiful kitties. My husband hunts, too. As far as nutrition goes, it’s a great source of lean, free-range protein, and I’m always grateful to have it in the freezer. We raise pigs, so he grinds the venison with some pork fat to plump it up – do you know anyone who has extra fat in a freezer that you can add to your grind? My husband makes a mean maple venison sausage out of the ground, which we eat with sweet potato biscuits – so yummy! I also use the ground venison for chili and for burgers – 1 tbsp seasoning salt, a splash of soy sauce, and a tbsp or so of worcestershire per lb of ground makes a tasty burger. Also, there’s a place in Madison, VA, called Hidden Pines, where you can drop off a deer and get back brats or bologna or other more convenient kinds of meat: https://www.facebook.com/hiddenpines/ The cheddar jalapeno brats are so, so good, and it’s fantastic to have a chest freezer full of stuff you can use. Also, use the bones to make really good stock. Enjoy!
Sonja Bee says
P.S. I forgot to say that of course, I will add your mother and you as well to my prayers. Hope everything works out in the best way.
priest's wife (@byzcathwife) says
I am officially stealing the idea of a shelf-type-thing to put our stockings on next year. We always just lay them on the hearth because I can’t drill holes in the mantle… thanks for the idea 🙂
Lisa says
Ginny
We cut our venison into stew chunks, raw pack in mason jars, ad about 1/2 (pint) or 1 (quart) of salt, and pressure can for 90 minutes at 10 lbs pressure. It makes its own liquid, and is fork tender and delicious!
Lisa says
I need to clarify 1/2t salt per pint and 1t salt per quart
nicole says
My family and I will be praying for your mother, Ginny. <3
I love that one of the cats is named Lucia!!!! And we had a very similar schedule to yours – 3 Masses in one day with both girls in the choir but then my poor C came down with tonsillitis so she missed out 🙁 However I feel that may be a blessing of its own as that caused Kevin to have to go to midnight Mass with K 😉
You know I am vegan but I respect what your boys are doing – not hunting for fun or sport but to provide food. That is such a huge difference to me. xoxo
Love to you and your family! Merry Christmas!!!!!!
Clémence says
I love how Christmas feels at your place, it’s a very nice and touching story you’re telling us here…I feel moved thinking my boys could be old enough to go hunting, this seems impossible yet!! (they are 2 and 3!) I will have your mother in my thoughts…
Merry Christmas!
Sonja Bee says
I will start by saying that I so love reading your posts. They ground my busy work days and let me dream of a simpler life. Our family Christmas this year got way out of hand. We had a big family gather this year with my brother and three of his kids and all of their kids and along with my sister and myself (both of us do not have any children so we are the aunties and great aunties). The pile of things under the tree was frankly obscene and the ripping and tearing of wrapping paper, the grabbing hands, the more more more of it all made me quite sick. Coming here today made me smile and almost cry with the joy of it. I do love reading about and seeing your days and weeks and months and all the ups and downs of your life. I so wish we could have what your family has: more real caring, more giving from the heart, more awareness of the important things and more appreciation for the world we have been gifted. thanks again for taking the time to share. xx
Lauren says
This was an especially lovely post. Thank you so much for mentioning the conversation about your dress.