More Wintery Weather

It's been another snowy week in our neck of the woods. We had not one, but two more snow events within three days. I've gotten to the point where I find it all pretty amusing. I thought it was going to be an early spring, I had been making plans and anticipating clearing out the winter debris in my yard. In my mind I had moved on from winter and was getting ready for spring. The snow and icy temperatures have put a halt to all of that....we are surely still in winter.

What has amused me so much, is I can see application in my life that reflects what is happening with our weather. It's been a long "winter" and I'm ready for some "spring" Do you get what I'm saying? The thing is, it's winter....that's the reality of where I am. It's not a bad thing....there is a lot of beauty in winter. And  not all days are dreary and cold, some are full of sunshine and warm breezes that refresh my soul....so I really don't have anything to complain about...so why is it so hard for me to be content in "winter"? (because I like the sunshine and warm breezes...who doesn't?)

So this weeks lesson, for me, was to stop wishing away "winter" and find the beauty in it instead. A lesson that boils down to contentment and the reminder that God is always at work in all seasons.

We decided to take a little excursion to a local golf course, I loved the way the Cypress Trees looked with the partially frozen lake.

February Surprises

February has been full of surprises for us. As mentioned in my previous post our son got some work in the area and was home for a few days. He was able to join us in a birthday celebration at a local eatery that husband likes and we were able to go to the symphony....having him home proved to be a real treat.

We also spent the weekend baking and cooking, it was Valentines Day and my hubby's birthday after
all. It's time to bake again, our treats are almost gone (some of this went north...lol) I will have to post the recipes for the Cinnamon Apple Scones...so delicious

Our other surprise has been snow and really cold temperatures. Usually if we haven't had snow by early February we're not going to get any, so in my mind winter was over...lol. We have been told that the temperatures expected tomorrow haven't been this cold in nearly twenty years...yikes!

A text I received from a friend yesterday stated,  "Remember a couple of weeks ago we all agreed it was going to be a short mild winter and early spring....maybe we spoke too soon"

We were talking about pruning our roses, she had already done hers, I had not gotten around to mine yet. Hopefully this cold weather hasn't damaged any of the early growth, I know ice can be a protector, like a warm blanket,  so maybe that will help.

We have officially been snowed in since Monday night and with super cold temperatures  predicted, I'm not sure that's going to change till the weekend. (photo above taken at a local parking lot...so maybe not totally snowed in, we did venture out this afternoon for a bit.) We don't do snow here, even the smallest amount will close down most places of business . What has made it worse is our 4-6 inches of snow is covered by a thick coating of ice..think "magic shell" ... you know the stuff they put on ice cream...that's what the snow is like. I can actually walk on top of this stuff without breaking through.

The children are enjoying all this snow and while there is no sledding allowed at the city park that has the "big hill" (too many injuries) Kids have still been able to find places to use those surf boards and trash cans lids to sled ...any piece of land with an incline will do. I have memories of sliding down a neighborhood street when I was growing up....I'm sure that wouldn't be allowed today. Things seemed so much simpler when I was growing up, or for that matter, when I was a young mom raising children.

So we've had a couple of quiet days. Besides cooking, we have done some reading, listened to a  teaching from church...(gotta love the Internet), done some research on supplements , looked at possible vacation ideas (40th anniversary coming up this year) and gotten lost on Pinterest (I've found so many good recipes) The snow has also given us the opportunity to recharge....a forced slow down...not a bad thing really...but I think hubby is ready to get back to work.

How about you, are y'all snowed in? How do you spend your snow days?

Winter Days

Can you believe we are at the end of January? Two more months till spring, not that I'm counting!

I don't know what you all do in January but for us it's a month of cleaning up and clearing out. After we had taken down all of our Christmas items and corralled them into our back room, we then sorted through everything, including things that never made it out of storage. Two hours and several empty boxes later the task was done. We had a car load of stuff for donation and just as much that went into the trash...how did we get all that stuff?

You know it's time to sort through stuff when you have boxes that haven't been opened in over four years...I know this because we found boxes that were taped shut and dated.

I have lots of cupboards, drawers an closets to still go through but this was a great start for the new year. Getting rid of what we don't need or use has kind of been a theme in our lives in the last several months....simplify, simplify, simplify! 

Cooler indoor days means I am able to do a little more reading than during the warmer months. The Alice Water's book was a gift, as was the How Fargo of You, the others are books I've had and decided to read again. Morning and Evening is a daily devotional written by C.H. Spurgeon, and is one I use on a regular basis.

Colder weather also means lots of warm soups and stews and bread are being made in our kitchen. We haven't bought bread from the store in months because we've been making sour dough bread on a weekly basis. My husband has been a big help with this....he's got the technique down pat!

Our young son gave us a starter last fall and not only we have managed to keep it alive but we've also made some yummy bread in the process. 

We have also had the opportunity to do some *face time* with the grandchildren. I know there are down sides to technology but I am thankful to be able to *see* and talk to my grandchildren at the same time.

Thrifting and sending them the treasures I find helps me feel connected, and little treats are always fun to get in the mail.

So that's been what our winter days have been looking like.  The days have been a little slower pace than before Christmas but productive. Perhaps I shouldn't be counting down the days till spring but instead enjoy the different pace that this time of year gives us. How about you do you enjoy the winter months?

Snow Days, The Sequel

We are home bound once again, after receiving another eight inches of snow this week. Two snowstorms a week apart, real unusual for us. Everyone was well prepared schools and many places of business closed at noon on Tuesday before the first flake even fell. I had always thought these closings were a bit of an over reaction but after seeing what happened on some of the roads in Alabama and Georgia there is wisdom in it.

Schools will probably be closed the rest of the week, many places of business are still closed (including my husbands) so things are quiet around here. I am thankful for this time, it's a gift to have our schedules stopped for a couple of days. Even without children in the home our lives are busy it's a different season, we have different responsibilities but life continues to be busy. I'm not complaining, just thankful for this time of quiet.

We have made good use of the time, I have cooked (soup beans with ham hock in the crock pot) went for a walk in the snow, something we all seemed compelled to do when it snows here, did some reading (I have already fallen behind on my reading plan for the year), worked on putting blog into book form and have been cleaning up my files in IPhoto. I take thousands of photos over the year, so I have been deleting and organizing making room for new ones during these quiet days. Come to think of it I should probably clean out my email boxes as well.

I desire to make the most of every opportunity even if the opportunity is simply be quiet and to stop

Snow Days

Snow around here is a novelty, some winters we don't get any and if it does snow, it is generally melted within a day or two. I don't own a snow shovel and I don't know many who actually own a sled. You are most likely to see a trash can lid, cardboard box or  boogie board going down a slippery slope for fun in the snow here. (I even saw a photo of someone using a surfboard on FB last week) Trash bags taped around the ankle work in a pinch for boots. That's how it rolls down here.

We got a little bit of snow last week, maybe two or three inches and it closed everything down. Schools were closed two days and most places of business were closed the day of the "storm" That snow didn't go away for several days because the temperatures stayed below freezing, but this grandma wasn't complaining because it gave me the opportunity to get some photos

Even though I am not a big fan of snow...too cold, it slows us all down from our busy lives. Schedules stop, everyone is home, we have time to play games, pop popcorn, cook, work on projects together and enjoy each others company, not really a bad thing.      Why are we so busy?

The snow is going to make a repeat performance sometime today, so it looks like we will be home bound again,  and I'm looking forward to it.

Oh Snow!

Kids and snow kind of go together, they just love it. I know this picture doesn't look like we got much snow but in the end our accumulation was almost two inches. Poor husband didn't enjoy it quite as much, our roads got bad pretty quickly and his commute from work was almost two hours. (usually only about 20-30 minutes) 

Neither child lasted long outside, it was pretty cold, but they stayed out long enough to make some snowballs and snow angels. Little Miss kept eating it, I guess it was her way of trying to figure out what this stuff was. I photographed them from the "relative" warmth of the garage. Have I mentioned that I am a real wimp when it comes to the snow. The weather is due to warm up, so it shouldn't last long but it was fun watching the little ones enjoy it....you think that will be it for this winter?

It's Snowing!

Snow... what fun! Started snowing last night,  just in time for Christmas. The weather man is calling for continued snow all through the day. This snow makes me happy, I feel like a kid again. Best part is we don't have to be anywhere today (church was canceled because of the weather) So it's a pajama day, maybe drink hot cocoa, lounge by the fire, watch old movies.....day's like today are a gift! Especially after the last several days. I have been very emotional..... feel like I am losing my mind at times..... not thinking straight....grieving over how our lives's have changed etc....then it  occurred to me....is it possible.....could this be effects from the Arimidex?....or am I just looking for something to blame my roller coaster emotions on?  Just knowing that it might be effects of the drug has helped...it's like...ok.... I'm not going crazy! So we move forward.....taking one day at a time...looking to the Lord for strength....and now wisdom in how to proceed... (this drug may be the culprit in running my blood pressure so high as well) I will see my oncologist in January and we will have a discussion. Christmas sweet, enjoyed family, fun watching the excitement of the little ones.....Vacation soon....getting very excited.....My husband and I are looking forward to this time...a time to reconnect as a couple....relax....have fun together....try to remember what it was like before my cancer diagnosis.

"You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light"  Psalm 18:28