Happy Birthday Messy!

Today we celebrated Messy's Birthday... She is now a lady and therefore we cannot say how old she is!

Mom got her a carrot cake and everyone had a piece:

Messy: 'That cake looks good! When can I have a piece?'

'Can I eat it now?'

It looks good!

I am not sure I like it!

Let me try another piece!

Can I try it too???

Messy and Luna suggested that next year we get the cake from another bakery, but still ate it...  Shadow instead liked it very much!

Mild colic for Luna but all is well!

Friday morning when I went down to the barn to feed the horses, I noticed that something was wrong with Luna: first she was really quiet, second she did NOT attack her food, and last she kept stretching.  Those where all signs that she was not feeling well, and probably having colics.  For those who don't know, colic can be really a serious condition for a horse, and you could actually have to put it down.  With the help of the vet and Luna - she was really good and co-operating - we got the problem solved and by lunch time she was well enough to go back to eat hay with her friends!  Big scare for me, but I am glad everything went well at the end!

First Big Snow of 2011

Last night, we had our first big snow

at Howard Lodge. You can see more photos here.

Ghosts in the Kitchen!

As readers of this blog know, our house is said to be haunted. So, imagine our surprise when Nicoletta noticed this in the peaches in the backsplash pattern in the kitchen...

This is the backsplash

And here is the thing that got our attention!

Needless to say, it is in all the peaches.

A more serious snow fall

Last night we got more snow, about 4 inches.  The horses really enjoyed it and they were playing in it this morning.  We woke up to this

The gingerbread house completed

Nicoletta was finally able to finish her gingerbread house, with the help of my mom.  The final product looks like this

... and here it comes the Epiphany (Befana)

On Thursday we celebrated the Epiphany, also known to us as 'La Befana'.  This is how a Befana looks like:

La Befana

As kids, Nicoletta and I did not get our Christmas gifts on Christmas day, but rather on the 6th of January.  We still have very fond memories of that day.  We have continued the tradition here and converted Bernie too.  We had quite a few gifts to open to Nicoletta's amazement. 

Nicoletta looking at all the gifts!

She also got a special one, to put outside.... She had been asking for it since we moved to Howard Lodge, so it was about time that she got it....