Town Closed For The Day ...

Update: We had 32 inches of snow with the last storm!

... Stay Home! That is the general message the news media and emergency personnel are telling everyone today. The airport is shut down, I-90 is for emergency responders only, and most side streets are not going to be plowed for a few days. Fortunately for us, we live in a small town with our own plow equipment. Our street was plowed before sunrise. The snow has been falling since yesterday morning at a rate of 1-2 inches per hour. At 3:00 AM I woke up to take a peek outside. By 4:00 AM I was up making coffee and watching the news reports about school closures. Finally by 5:00 AM it was announced we would have a snow day for our school district. It takes quite a pile up of snow to close down the local schools. The temps are in the teens (F) ... but by tomorrow, we're in for a blast of cold air from the Arctic. Any plowing needs to get done today while the snow is powdery. By tomorrow, everything will be frozen solid for quite some time. So far, we've gotten ahead of the plowing and will be quite busy once again in a few hours. What great exercise ... just pushing the snow blower. Its mantra this morning was ... "I think I can, I think I can" ... as it chugged through my driveway. Hoping you are all safe with this crazy weather ... keep dry and warm and stock up on supplies if needed.

How's the weather in your neck of the woods?

Hugs from up North,

Sing hey! Sing hey!
For Christmas Day;
Twine mistletoe and holly.
For a friendship glows
In winter snows,
And so let's all be jolly!
~Author Unknown

It's Been Hectic

We are just over an arctic blast and now have snowy weather in the teens during the day. The teens seem warm compared to minus zero temps. I have been busy taking care of my little grandson the past two days; Nathan has had a ruptured ear drum and home from school; and just keeping up with clearing the driveway is my exercise routine for the day! Yesterday I made chocolate fudge and peppermint bark for Christmas goodies. This is so much easier than baking oodles of cookies. I'm just about finished with my Christmas shopping ... and my New Year's greeting card can wait until January. My son Patrick's Christmas package went out at noon so now I can sigh a bit of relief. Aaah. How are you holding up just days before Christmas?

Amid the hustle and bustle ... we have to stop and give thanks to the Son of God that came to earth so very long ago. None of this pre Christmas rush can compare to the simple truth of the Christ Child, Jesus. Let's not just remember him in the manger as a babe, but what he came to earth to accomplish, and conquer. May his Peace reign among the nations and in your hearts.

Hugs from the North Woods,

... "Walking In A Winter Wonderland" ...

... Old Frosty the Snowman paid us a visit (finally) yesterday. The Mr. and I got up early and used our new snow blower on the driveway. It works so much faster and better than having to use our four wheeler and plow. Just watch out if you're on my naughty list ... cuz the jet of snow this new blower throws has pretty accurate aim ... just ask the Mr :) OK, so I got a little carried away! The weather is that arctic blast (Miss Terry sent) from Canada. We're not supposed to be much above zero degrees by tomorrow. The dawg will be so happy she can live in the basement for a few days. She stood outside at my French door in the dining room with a pitiful look on her face all morning. Mr. Mac just headed off to Santa's workshop for a little charity gig at the airport. He was dressed as a keystone cop and had an important flight to catch with some needy children up to the North Pole. Will hopefully post a picture tomorrow. Have a toasty warm weekend inside by the fire. Hugs.

No Stress Christmas

The older I get, the less and less I want to do in the 'merry making' department at Christmas. Don't get me wrong. I still enjoy Christmas. I still put up a tree and bake cookies. I still have children at home. But, I've come to a place in life that gives me permission to pull back and examine exactly what Christmas means. Christmas, as in December 25, is most likely not Christ's true birthday. One could go on and on about how Christian's converted pagan feasts into Christian 'holy days' as a way to convert pagans. This being said, Christmas has become so foggy of an idea that it's now both secular (Santa) and religious (Christ). Whatever His true birthday is, Christians need to live each day as if it's a special day from God. The Christmas 'industry' (commercialism) is driven by a year end frenzy to buy, buy, buy. In reality, God gave the perfect Gift in a humble setting without all the glitter, garland, paper and bows. Take time this season to examine your motives of this celebration. Christ's birth was simple. Are you up to making Christmas more simple?

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Luke 2-8:12 (NIV)

Simply Put

Remembering the humility of Christ. His birth and death have changed the world. May we keep his simple message at the forefront as we yet, again, celebrate his birth.

Almost a Teen

It's hard to believe that my Nathan will be a teenager in March. He is very tiny and the thought of him being 13 just blows me away. Today when I picked him up at the bus after school, he told me he wanted to invite a girl to Mama's house. Now mind you, anyone not tuned in to his language would not have picked up what he was saying ... but, this mom knows his heart and babble to understand him quite well. Maybe over the Christmas break, he can have a very supervised visit as they were caught kissing in the pumpkin patch on a class field trip in October. It's gonna be a rough few years ahead, I can already tell ;)

Soporific Rest

The turkey doldrums hit me on Black Friday. Who in their right mind would want to fight the mobs to save money on Christmas gifts. Stand in long lines before sunrise, shivering in the cold wondering if you might get mobbed or even lose your very life to save a few bucks. Not I. My Black Friday rest was partially induced from the feast on Thursday and the work involved to cook the meal. Taking an allergy pill put me in a near sleep induced coma on the couch for a few days. I viewed just about every cheesy Lifetime and Hallmark Christmas movie and made a permanent dent in my sofa. I can spot sewing batting used for snow scenes and computer animated snow flakes from my finely tuned eyes. Decorating for Christmas will be a slow process; a breather is needed to put some space between the two holidays. Perhaps I need some anti-depression meds to snap out of it ... na, another cookie will do the trick!