It is a beautiful, snowy day here in WI again! Today we are only expecting a little bit of snow, about an inch or so. Whew, after all that has come, I am relieved. But, today we don't have to go anywhere, so that means it won't snow anyway. Now, tomorrow.... Well, we shall see. This has been a winter for the record books, and it reminds me of how much the cold and winter makes us appreciate spring, summer and fall here in the frozen tundra.
When my Ethiopian sons were very confused about why Mom was trying to throw them outside in the fall, when they really didn't care, well, now they understand! I tried to tell them that we would go months where we would not go out much, so go out NOW, but they just didn't understand it. Now they do!!! On nicer days everyone is outside burning off some steam, but it has been such a winter that we have had everyone inside a great deal of the time, and the closeness has gotten wearing a bit. Hence the words "cabin fever". We have worked on lots of ways to keep everyone busy, and happy, but you can only knit so many hats (it was fun for the first ten!), sew so many pairs of pajama pants (that is the most recent, but actually has been fun - one pair almost done, and one more pair cut out then all the kids have new pajama pants in patterns that they like), play XBox so much without disintegrating into a pile of mindless goo (XBox is my desperation measure to get a few minutes to myself), watch educational videos so much before you give in and watch mush - good mush, but mush non-the-less. The kids have all worked really hard in schoolwork - Kiley is now on her sixth novel - think I better look into how she can send them to someone, Alex is mastering King Lear, Faith is zooming and reading everything in sight, and Solly and Zeri are zooming in math and learning English and learning to read.
We have started winter sowing for our spring garden - part science and part mess! You put seeds in a container, like a milk gallon jug, cut the top almost off so you can open it, put several inches of soil in it, water the dirt pretty well, then put the seeds in. You then tape it shut, it won't be totally airtight and isn't supposed to be, and put it out in the snowbank (we have lots of those!). It will go through freezes and thaws just like a seed would naturally, and with the shelter of the container it makes a mini-greenhouse. The seed will germinate and grow when conditions are right. (Isn't God amazing!) As the weather warms you cut more holes and open up the container so it gets more of the natural environment, and when it is open, you transplant it into the garden! Ta-da! We make a huge mess on the kitchen table, use all sorts of containers (yay recycling) to plant whatever makes sense (not lettuce or potatoes or carrots, things that grow below the ground or are harder to transplant). It keeps the kids busy, gets my mind on spring, and gets everyone involved in an activity!
This has been such a week or two between the snow, the surgery, and all the emotions. I am so ready for life to sort of get to "normal". I haven't even gotten to my Bible studies and I really miss it. I so need to reconnect on a very direct level. I have gotten into reading the Bible at lunchtime to the kids - it is one time when everyone is together and sitting still and somewhat quiet as they eat! I know that it doesn't all sink it, but I want them to hear it constantly, to have it infused into their minds. I so look forward to painting the walls so that I can paint verses from Scripture on the walls again like we did at the old house - the verse about having them on our doorposts, to see scripture as we rise and as we go to sleep. I am terrible - I remember the gist of many verses and sometimes where about to find it, but don't have it memorized word for word. I need to work on that. But at least when I read the Bible I find much of it very familiar, which is good. I am working on it. I always find myself so refreshed when I actually spend time in the Word, it is so important!
Well, off to the pile of laundry! I am hoping to get through part of the pile today. We have gotten so behind, I couldn't even walk on the floor in the tiny laundry room! But now I can, though I moved sorted piles into the dining room!!! I think that is cheating! My goal is to get enough done so there is no more in the laundry room by bedtime! But bedtime might end up being 3AM!!!! Oh, well! Today is a day to choose to view it in the positive, to have more laughter than scowls, to smile rather than frown.
Love to all!
No comments:
Post a Comment