So He Tells The Snow To Fall, eh?

God's voice thunders in marvelous ways;

He does great things beyond our understanding.

HE SAYS TO THE SNOW, "FALL ON THE EARTH" and to the rain shower, 'Be a mighty downpour.'

SO THAT ALL MEN HE HAS MADE MAY KNOW HIS WORK, he stops every man from his labor.

Job 37:5-7

Like everyone else, we’re watching that storm that’s brewing in the west and wondering what our portion will be.  They’re predicting an inch of ice for our part of Indiana.  A blizzard, for those lucky enough to live farther north. 

Either way, living on the steepest hill in the state, you have to be prepared! 

Yesterday afternoon, my oldest son and I did the preparedness shopping while my husband took the other two boys to the walk-in clinic at Walgreens.  (I’m so thankful for that clinic!!)  We’ve gone and added the flu to our family’s nasty cold mix.  I don’t recommend it.

So besides the normal bread, milk, and eggs, we got an oil lamp and a half a grocery cart of flu medication.   

It’s kind of funny.  Any which way you cut it, it looks like I’ll have boys home with me most of this week.  I just hope they aren’t sick through all the winter fun!

If we don’t lose power, I’ll try to post pictures of our “fun”, lol!

Now, God, if you don’t mind, I’d like a blizzard, hold the ice, please. 

Pretty please? :)

I took the picture above at our home in Pennsylvania on Christmas Day, 2002 looking out our back door.  Here’s a picture taken the same day, looking out our front window.  I miss snows like this.  :) 

We’ll see what this week brings!  If you are getting a portion of this storm, I’d love to hear what you are expecting!  :) 

Do Tell! Who Was On Your Lunch Box?

I saw this Holly Hobbie lunch box on Ebay and was immediately transported to my elementary school cafeteria! The smells!  The sounds!  It was like it was yesterday. 

Every day, Mom packed the same lunch for me.  Peanut Butter and Jelly on white bread and two chocolate chip cookies.  My thermos was always filled with iced tea.  Always.

I studied every side of that lunch box and compared it to the boxes my friends carried.  I remember getting my finger pinched in the handle sometimes.

Mrs. Wallace walked the isles between tables calling…

“No trading, boys and girls!” 

“Clean up your trash!”

“No one is lining up until it is QUIET!”

Thinking of her makes me smile.  She was definitely intimidating.  However, we all loved her.  She had a chair against the wall on which she kept her coffee can of bleach water.  If you had something in your lunch that you didn’t like, you were free to leave it next to the can on her chair.  In turn, she would hand those things out to the children who hadn’t much of their own.  Sweet, sweet lady.

Mom packed one identical to this one for Dad.

  I always felt sorry for him having to carry such a boring box.  Lol!

I’m positive I had this Walt Disney one, too.  But Mom doesn’t remember it.  Isn’t it funny how vivid some childhood memories can be?  Especially when there are sounds and smells involved!

I’m pretty SURE I had this Strawberry Shortcake box, too.  I used to wonder what the inside of the apple house looked like!

Sadly, I never had an “Emergency!” lunch box.

Or one with Evel Knievel on it.  Lol!

If you want to stroll down memory lane, do an EBay search for “metal lunch box.”  I guarantee you’ll be smiling at all the fun ones you remember!

What was on your lunch box?  Don’t be bashful!  I really want to know! 

A Glimpse Of Our Week…Last Week, That Is!

How can one girl get so dreadfully behind?  And just how does she get caught up when there are so many gaps in her blog?

I’ll let you know if I figure it out!  As best as I can figure, though, you just pick it back up when you can and go on.  And hope that your friends will understand.  :)

In the mean time, here are three pictures from last week’s snow.  Pictures are always fun, right? 

The first…Snow Angels…

This made me laugh!  All three boys making angels in the snow! This may be the closest I will ever come to having three “angelic” sons all at one time!!  Lol! 

The second…Snow Writing…

He wanted to write his name in the snow.  In very BIG letters.  :)

No matter that his “A” disappeared into the tree-line!

 

And the third…Red Cheeks…  

It was COLD!  The thermometer read 0 degrees or below on several mornings, and the nights weren’t much better! 

This week, the weather is much warmer, thankfully.

But I’ve caught a cold that is making me talk like I have no nose, and making my head feel like it is going to explode.  I haven’t had a cold in a long time, so I really shouldn’t complain. But still, it stinks.  This morning I actually went back to bed after getting the troops out the door.  And I got absolutely nothing accomplished. 

Well, accept this attempt at a post.  I’m anxious to kick this cold and get back in the swing of things.

After all, these are the winter months when the long hours spent indoors lend themselves to blogging, right?  So why am I finding it so hard?  That’s the question of the day.  I think I’m going to start a notebook where I can jot down ideas when I think of them, and then blog about them when I find the time. 

Do any of you keep a notebook like that?  How do you keep things fresh on your blog?  I’d love to hear your ideas.  :)

Bring on the sunshine!!   

Not His Best Argument

This young man, who hovers between childhood and adulthood, never ceases to amaze me with the things he says.  Some are profound.  And some are profoundly funny.

Saturday morning, my husband and I were getting ready to run a few errands and I told the boys to find their shoes and coats.

As usual, my 13-year-old son started to protest, “Awe Mom, can’t we please stay here while you and dad go?” 

The other two boys quickly followed suit with a chorus of “Pleeeeease??”

I’m not sure why we go through this each time.  I suppose maybe they think that this will be their lucky day.

“Listen,”  I said. “If you and your brothers want to stay home alone for an hour, you can’t be getting into such trouble during the other twenty-three hours.”

“But, Mom…” he said. “We only get in trouble when somebody is here.”

Silence.

I tilted my head and raised my left eyebrow.

His 11-year-old brother started to laugh, and then threw a pillow at his head. “Uh, Dude, that was dumb.  That was so totally not a good thing to say…”

It didn’t turn out to be their lucky day.

Photo Story Friday: Masked Men At Work and Snowy Scenes

With dreams of backyard battles, my 11 and 13 year-olds bought air soft guns before Christmas.  Although I have reservations about them shooting each other with those tiny plastic pellets, it’s all the rage around these parts.  Their friends take turns hosting the wars. 

So, being the safety-first-mama that I am, I got them both really cool (air soft) face masks for Christmas.  And you know what?  They’re coming in pretty darn handy even out side of the air soft wars.

Apparently, they keep your face from freezing off when your mom makes you shovel the driveway.  Good to know, right? 

And lest you think, “Awe, those poor cold boys out there shoveling that big long endless driveway…”

They have a little help…

Their dad’s big toy makes pretty quick work of most of it. 

Which leaves me free to take the pictures.  :)

This is a look up the road in front of our house.  Those Norway Spruces were just little sticks when we planted them 6 years ago.  Now, most of them are taller than me.  They’re beautiful in the snow.

And this is a look in the other direction.  You can see more of the spruces we planted along the road and among our sycamores.  We planted over 200 trees. Someday, we’re hoping they will provide a nice wind-block for us from the winter winds.  They are well on their way!

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Snag Those Clearance Wreath Hangers!

This time of year, I’m usually looking for places to hang all the extra snow stuff—especially the big bibs.  They’re bulky and heavy and tend to pull the little wooden pegs right out of my coat rack. 

I bought some over-the-door plastic hangers and liked the fact that they can be moved around.  I put them on the back of the garage door, and when the guys come in, they can strip stuff off right there and hang them up.

The little white hooks were better than nothing.  But the younger two boys couldn’t reach them by themselves.

So the other night, I had a brainstorm while walking through the clearance isle at Wal-Mart!

Metal wreath hangers!

They’re stronger than my plastic hangers, and the extra length is perfect! 

PLUS, they are on clearance at Wal-Mart right now for just .50 cents each!  You can’t beat that!!!

For other Works For Me Wednesday tips, visit We Are That Family!

Catch Up Time!

I’ve decided to blog once a year.  Kidding!  But where did all the time go that I used to spend on blogging??  In the interest of defending my lazy streak, I’ll try to catch you up on what I’ve been doing, and where I’ve been.

The what part is pretty easy.  Here’s the short list:

• Snow days with my boys bouncing off walls.  And shoveling.
• Snow days with my boys plus their friends bouncing off walls.  And shoveling.
• Cell Phone shopping.  Did I tell you I lost my phone three days before Christmas?  I won’t cry over it.  But it was a major time consumption to find a replacement, learn how to use it, and get all my information re-entered.  I’m seriously considering duck-taping it to my hip from now on.
• Reclaiming my house from the hands of Christmas clutter.  It’s an ugly monster… 
• Researching new educational sites for my little guy to enjoy. 
• Working out.  It’s only three times a week, but it’s putting the squeeze on the non-essential parts of my day.
• And the myriad of dentist and orthodontics appointments that all seemed to come at once. 

The where part is a little more nebulous.  While I’ve been here in body, my drive to write has been sputtering around in the proverbial dessert.  It’s not that God isn’t working, or that I’m not seeing some incredible things unfold in our family.  It’s more like, I’m not sure which things to share, or how. 

My older boys are at an age where they don’t want every hurdle they jump posted front and center on my blog.  The fun and crazy stuff is fine.  But the tough lessons learned, or the serious stuff growth is made of, not so much.

So I’m having to rethink how to be transparent with you while protecting the privacy of my guys.  So much of what I’ve shared over the years on this blog has been about our personal lives.  And I still want to do that.

I just need to think more carefully before I write. 

I would love to hear your thoughts on this.  How do you balance privacy with transparency?

Something For Me

Just before Thanksgiving, a friend and I joined our local Curves .  Since then, it has been a lot of fun working out together. 

Maybe too much fun.  I’ve gained 9 pounds since joining!  Granted, we’ve had the holiday-treat-fest.  But perhaps we should talk less and focus more…?  Being a full time mom has been wonderfully rewarding.  But with my youngest now in kindergarten, I find I have time to reflect on where I am.

For the most part, I’m pretty happy with my life.  But I would lovelovelove to be in better shape.  Not to mention breathe in my jeans.  And have arms that don’t flap in the wind when I hang them out car window! 

I considered joining Curves before, but never followed through.  So when my dear-friend-who’s-always-looking-out-for-me suggested we join together, it was just the nudge I needed.  

The ladies at our Curves branch are wonderful.  They range in age from 19 to 89.  And seriously?  They’re amazing!  Not to mention a riot!

Although I’m starting at the bottom of the proverbial fitness scale, it is a step in the right direction.  And we all have to start somewhere.  Plus, it’s something I’m doing for my family.

Too often we moms fall into the caregiver roll and fail take care of ourselves.  However, if we want to be around to give care when we’re older, we have to take better care of ourselves today. 

My friend’s encouragement got me started, and I’m paying it forward with a little nudge to you.  Don’t put it off any longer!

• See what’s available in your area --YMCA, Curves, etc.
• Check with your insurance provider.  If you are lucky, perhaps they’ll cover some or all of the membership fees. My insurance pays for everything!
• Then, go see the place.  Half the battle is actually working up the nerve to investigate.

Once I visited, saw the simple machines, and watched all those women chatting and having fun, my fears just fell away.  “I can do this!”  I thought.

And so can you!

If joining a fitness place isn’t for you, than choose something else. 

Walking is always good.  Grab a friend or your husband or your kids and start walking.  If bad weather is a problem, find a mall. 

But don’t wait. 

Putting exercise in your routine now will help you stay active later. 

If you don’t want to do it for you, do it for your family! 

What do you do to stay active?  Share your ideas!  We moms need all the encouragement and ideas we can get!

Colorful Threads

We’ve had lots of fun these past few weeks.  However, woven in with the joy and fun of Christmas, we’ve had a thread of sadness this year. 

I shared with you all last spring how an elderly friend and neighbor had fallen, broken her hip, and hit her head.  Doctors didn’t give her much hope of recovery.  But she hung on.

Since then, she has been in out of various hospitals and nursing homes.  Her condition precarious, her mind failing along with her body.

A friend and I went to see her three days before Christmas.  Although the boys and I had visited her a few days before, and had rejoiced in snatches of smiles and recognition,  the tiny lady had since slipped into a coma. 

The two of us sat on the edge of her bed and reminisced about the fun we had shared with her over the years.  We remembered the stories she often shared about her grandchildren and great grandchildren.  (She had a boatload!)  We read the Christmas story.  We prayed.  And we cried. 

She passed four hours later.

She was pretty much the matriarch of our neighborhood and we’ll miss her.

It was sad to see this elderly couple’s house, usually decorated for Christmas, remain dark this year.  Dark like the thread of sadness we all felt for her husband.

This family is not alone.  Many have faced their first Christmas without a loved one this year. 

The friend who went with me to the nursing home had lost her own grandmother, AND mom, this year.   Yet, even with her heart still tender to the sights of a home, she chose to go. 

And I was touched by her courage and selflessness.

I was also touched by the generosity of the neighborhood, who took up a collection to help with expenses.

I was touched by the number of neighbors I saw at the service.

And I was touched by the volunteer who stayed behind at their house, so their family could be together.

Each one unaware that they were blessing more than the family they were reaching out to.   

Only God can do that.  Only He can take a dark thread in life, surround it with the vibrant colors of selfless giving, and create a beautiful tapestry that blesses all who see it.    

I hope you all had a meaningful time with your loved ones over the holiday! 

My prayer for the new year, is that I will be a colorful thread in God’s tapestry!  Over.  And over.  Again.