A Little Snowed In

We've had some snow, ice and bitter cold weather here in Tennessee over the past couple of weeks. Last night the temperature dropped to -2. That's crazy cold for our area. Right now we are "snowed in" I guess you could say! Some of you would probably get a good chuckle over the winter weather that brings the south to a standstill. We don't get this type of weather every year so our transportation departments aren't fully equipped to clear the roads and we certainly aren't used to driving on ice!

This weather makes me really stop and give thanks for a warm home, family and enough food to eat.

Early one morning after the first bit of snowfall. It was a pretty and peaceful scene to wake up to.

Our icy drive to church Sunday morning. Very slow going and slippery! After making it safely home from church, we decided we weren't getting out again until this clears up. Thankfully Darrell has the option of working from home.

Several people I know are getting cabin fever after only a few days at home. I've enjoyed our time here together and honestly, this week hasn't been much different for me. I don't go out every day anyway!

The running joke in the south before a snow storm is that everyone rushes to the store to buy bread and milk.  It's absolutely true. The bread aisles are completely cleared out right before the snow arrives. Thankfully that's one thing we don't have to worry about! Bread baking is the norm around here. We don't use a lot of milk so that hasn't been an issue either.

Everyone makes snow cream when it snows. Snow is a big deal around here. Is this just a southern thing??

We've had a little more time on our hands so Leah decided to try making some olive oil candles. They turned out really well and gave off a good amount of light. She's always experimenting with something new!

We're supposed to have much warmer temperatures by this weekend so our snow days are coming to an end. It has been nice to slow down and snuggle in for a few days!

Wrapping Up a Full Week

Another week has come to an end. This was a full week for our family, but thankfully it was manageable. I just have to say this production of little Women that Leah Kate is in is a lot of work for all of us! They have a grueling rehearsal schedule and I'm just not used to being on the road so much. Darrell, Zach and I are taking turns getting her to and from rehearsals.

Her director is extremely professional and wants to make sure they have an excellent play, so it takes a lot of work! thank goodness this is just for a few more weeks. I will post her promotional photos soon. They are having period dresses tailored for each of the girls and from what I hear, they are going to be beautiful. Can't wait to see them!

We also had family in town staying with us for a couple of days this week. We enjoyed the visit. Like I said, full but manageable!

Just a few touches of fall outside. I like to take walks around our little place in the mornings and just take in the season. The cool air that has finally arrived, the leaves that are beginning to change, the squirrels scurrying around gathering for the winter. It's a time for me to pray and clear my mind of those pesky anxious thoughts that tend to creep in.

I'm looking forward to a lovely, productive weekend. We have some fall cleanup that needs to be taken care of on our property and I'd like to check in on a couple of our neighbors. One precious neighbor is 87 and lives alone. She is full of such Godly wisdom. I enjoy conversations with her. It has been far too long since I've stopped by. Another neighbor is recently widowed and has been dealing with so much lately. I'm hoping to take her a small gift of a handmade sign.

I hope you all have a nice fall weekend. Family, serving others and being thankful for the many simple blessings creates a peace that the craziness of this world can't take away.

Content at Home

I'm trying to find my new blogging rhythm. When I was blogging years ago, most of my posts were about my children. Now that I have one in college and one nearing the end of high school, I'm sort of in a different phase of life!

Zach attends a nearby community college and has a part time job and Leah pretty much independently homeschools. She's also involved in community theatre. She will play Beth in a production of Little Women next month.

Even though they are older and have their own activities, I'm content and feel very much needed at home. It has always been important to me that my husband and children have a loving, nurturing home.

I have struggled in the past with the pull to do more outside of our home. When I would see other women involved in so many seemingly good activities, I would feel like maybe I wasn't doing enough. I've also never been one to do "girls nights" out or shopping with friends. I simply don't enjoy those things. I'm not saying that I don't have friends. We actually have some very good friends and I love it when our families can get together and fellowship at one another's homes. I enjoy spending time with friends, I just don't feel the need to "get away" from my family to do so!

Making homemade food is one of my top priorities and if I'm gone a lot, that's just not going to happen! It takes time to prepare food so I have to make time for it throughout my day. We have been gradually making the switch to healthier eating. We've cut way down on sugar and processed foods. I love to bake, so we do enjoy occasional sweet goodies but that's not an every day occurrence.

It feels good to be content and at peace with my God given roles as wife and mother. I want with all my heart to serve the Lord and make him known to others. Being obedient in this area of my life is how I can do that. When I take my eyes off Him and start comparing my service to the things I see others doing, that insecurity creeps back in. 

We try to keep our schedule easy to manage. I don't want to have somewhere I have to be every day. Of course there are busy seasons as there are things that come up that absolutely must be done, but those seasons are temporary. We are in a busy season at the moment since Leah is practicing several days a week for the play. She is working hard and she enjoys it very much, so we are all pitching in and helping get her to and from practice. She has her learner's permit so we're still having to drive her right now.

When I think about the state the world is in now, I can't help but think about how different things would be if there were more loving, nurturing mothers in the lives of children. Focusing on God, family and serving others instead of trying to keep up with the ever changing fast paced things of the world.

Being content at home is a blessing and a joy. I look forward to what each day brings and I'm so thankful for a new season in life where we are now reaping the benefits of raising and homeschooling our children according to our convictions. It isn't always easy, but I wouldn't change a thing.

Let's Get Started!

I'm so happy to be blogging again after quite a long break! I blogged for a few years when our children were younger and we had just moved away from our hometown. Those were the days before Facebook was big and I started a blog primarily as a way to document and share with our out of town family. Little did I know I would "meet" so many wonderful people through blogging!

I'm in a new season of life now and by the grace of God I have grown and changed much! I'm 41 and now have a sophomore in college and a homeschooled junior in high school. I could not be more in awe of how God has worked in the lives of our kids and in our marriage. I hope you find my words to be real and true. I want very much to be an encouragement!

The simplest of things are important to us. I'm a deep thinker, a student of God's word and not afraid to be a little weird!

Darrell and I last month on our 22nd anniversary

Zach and Leah

That's the cast of characters! We are SO imperfect but we love and are loved by a perfect God. Thanks for reading and I hope you won't be a stranger!