Here we go, again!

It appears as if we are in line for one more storm this winter.  At this point, it is just part of the routine.  Right now I am rooting for a big storm, because this could be the year we beat the all time record for snow.  Why not be excited?  I am ready.  This morning we stocked up.  My husband is going to bring home work so that he can be safely at home Saturday through Monday if needed.  Thankfully we don't have to go out in the messy weather.  We can even join our church live via the Internet. School will go on as planned, too.

AND... Never fear, spring will be here, winter can't go on for much longer!

Photo from Porch Sitting Union of America

I Have a Cold

Unfortunately, I have caught a cold.  I hate being sick!  This one is mainly in my sinuses.  Thankfully, I cannot remember the last time I was sick, and I really have not been down and out sick, either.  I credit this to the ingredients in the above photo.  Twice a day, I have choked down the following.

In 6-8 ounces of warm water add:

• 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• the juice of one small lemon  

I have also consumed great quantities of homemade chicken stock, so yummy.  I have continued to exercise at half the effort.  I have cut out the sugar, which amazingly enough, I have not been craving as usual.  All I crave right now is sleep!  

I am really praying that no one else gets this, but yesterday, Ryan said he thought he was getting sick, too, but so far it is very mild.  He will not take my concoctions.  He will drink EmergenC, so that is making me a little happy.  

Oh well, this too shall pass, right?  If only the world would stop until I am well.  :)  

Things Are Coming Together

Two huge answers to prayer have come our way lately.  The first has to do with finding local friends.  I have been praying for a way for my kids to meet other Christian kids in our area, something I thought would be very difficult since we don't plan on changing churches.  And God provided a way!

We had two separate families who live nearby that we have known for a long time tell us about a youth ministry that has blessed them and their children in our area.  And finally, the younger two kids went last Friday.  And they enjoyed going!  They said the other kids were welcoming and the message was right on. Ryan's age group meets on another day, and we were not able to get him to his group, but hope to one day soon.  This is such a huge blessing and perhaps another step towards settling in our new town.

In addition, I have been praying about what to do next fall with our church commitments.  We have been very active in our church for years and we don't want to change that totally.  But, I think I have a plan.

Right now on Sundays, Grace serves in the first service at 8 o'clock.  A few times this winter, it has been difficult to get to church that early as the highway is not cleared of snow until later.  So, we are going to sign her up to work in the Sunday school second hour next fall.

Ryan already works the second hour in 5th grade Sunday school.  He wants to stay there.

Trevor will be in the Jr. High during the second hour.

We are all going to drop out of AWANA, most likely.  This will be an unpopular decision, but frankly, we can't afford the gas.  It's $10 round trip.  And with the local youth group option, I think it will be less an issue.

We are going to switch to attending the third service at 11:40 on small group Sundays.  This way we won't leave the house at 7 AM and get home at 5PM twice a month as we are doing now.

For karate, which meets at our church, my dear husband is going to adjust his work schedule so that he can get off an hour early on karate nights.  He will be able to take the kids or we all go as a family, and the two of us have a date night.  :)

Community life is so important when you belong to a church, but if you live 33 miles away, it can be prohibitive and stressful.  With prayerful adjustments, I think we can make this work!

Thoughts of Spring

Photo from Country Living Magazine's Facebook page

Yesterday, we received another 7 inches of snow, bringing our total to over 40 inches, which is the 4th snowiest winter on record.  Thankfully, we could prepare ahead of time.  Jeff brought home work so he could avoid the roads and work from home.  I had time to get food restocked.  All was cozy and warm on the home front.  

As I was reading our history lesson out loud yesterday, I came across this quote, and instantly I was transported to spring!  So, I thought I should write it here along with the cheery bouquet pictured above, to give us a little burst of spring.  

"When spring came, after that long hard winter, one could not get enough of the nimble air."  

~Willa Cather, My Antonia, 1918  

Just 42 days until spring!