Winter is here...

Psalm 147:16a "He gives snow like wool..."


In the middle of our Sunday morning scramble I snuck outside to catch this shot:


Each snowflake is a beautiful testimony of an awesome Creator.
Winter has truly arrived. We have enough snow to really play in. It's cold enough to make that crunching noise as you walk. We love it!
The holidays are over. It's back to work for us. Poor Brent felt a little burdened with it all. This morning he sighed, "We have to carry in wood, do school work AND shovel the driveway." I said unsympathetically, "You're a busy boy." He gave another sigh and continued, "AND we'll go sledding - IF we have time." Oh, to have the full schedule of a 6-year-old. :)


Looking back over the holidays, I realize how little we got accomplished. I am a task-oriented person, that is to say that I tend to measure the success or failure of the day (or week) by how much work got done. My first assessment of the holidays made me grouchy and impatient to tackle some of the projects that have been in the wings for so long. But Gerald told me that we did get a lot done. It just depends on how you measure it, or rather, on what you are measuring. After some thought, I realized he was right. I made a quick list of the things we did do, and I know that most of the things on the list have value because they are have to do with building relationships. We:

• played games/did puzzles
• played outside
• read books
• attended three special services: Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day
• visited with Gerald's family on Christmas Day
• visited with my family on Boxing Day
• visited my Oma in the nursing home
• hosted a party to welcome in the new year with friends
• had a visit from Gerald's niece
• had a chat with each of the girls indiviually over tea and chocolate
• watched movies with the kids (a rarity)
• we relaxed - an almost-forgotten art around here :)

So, I have to say that we had really good holidays. And we have a whole year ahead of us to tackle all those things that are waiting. And in fact, Gerald did get started on one project and when he finishes I'll post some pictures. :))


I'm not really the resolution sort of person, at least not beyond having some vague, unspoken ideas of what should change. But this year I really aim to make getting to bed on time a priority (just one application of my word for the year.) This is BIG for me. I need lots of sleep. And lack of sleep affects so many things...as my children know too well. :(