Ice Fishing

Today we went ice fishing. Really, it was a nice day. I personally was cold, although others told me it was warm. I am just a woosie. It snowed, it stopped. It snowed, the fish bit, it stopped, so did they. We caught a few fish, and when the fish were biting, it didn't seem so cold. I also faced another situation that nobody else seemed too concerned about, themselves. You see, I was the only female with 7 men and boys. Need I say any more? Needless to say, I drank minimal amounts of hot chocolate, and went on a short 4-wheeler adventure alone. The sunset was beautiful, and after an adventurous ride out (yikes), we are warm and cozy at home. Enjoy the pictures!

Drip, drip, drip...

Drip, drip, drip.... Guess what? It's 38 degrees outside. Guess what? My house is leaking. Drip, drip, drip... Luckily, the leak in the kitchen is above the sink. Ting, Ting, Ting... Most of the leak in the bathroom is above the toilet. Splosh, splosh, splosh... The rest in the bathroom is covered with a bucket and a garbage can. Drip, drip, drip... It's leaking in the laundry room, and around the stovepipe. szzz, szzz, szzz... and into a bucket by the sliding glass door. Drip, drip, drip... Coincidentally, I've got a cold, so my nose is dripping also! Nothing like a nice quiet day at home!

A Christmas Confession

This was read at our Christmas Eve Candlelight Service, and I just wanted to share it:
I believe in Jesus Christ and the beauty of the gospel in Bethlehem.
I believe in the One whos spirit glorified a little town.
I believe in the One for whom the crowded inn could find no room
I believe in the One whose life was among the common people and
Whose welcome came from persons of hungry hearts.
I believe in the One who proclaimed the love of God to be invincible.
I believe in the One whose cradle was a mother's arms,
Who looked at people and made them see what God's love saw in them.
Who by love, brought sinners back to purity,
And lifted human weakness up to meet the strength of God.
I confess the many things that stand in the way of the true celebration
Of Christmas and of God's love.
I confess my ever-lasting need of God:
The need of forgiveness for selfishness and greed,
The need of new life for empty souls,
The need of love for hearts grown cold.
I believe in Jesus Christ, the son of the living God,
Born in Bethlehem this night, for me and for the world.
I believe that in and through Him comes God's gift of forgiveness and
New life, both here and in the world to come.
I believe in the One who was born this night that taught us to pray...

It continued with the Lord's Prayer. The Christmas Eve service was wonderful, with more than 70 people in attendance! For our little church, this was 6-7 times more than an average Sunday. What an uplifting experience. Merry Christmas, everyone.

We're readers

We're readers. Love books. Enjoy curling up and devouring a story. We derive great joy from perusing Barnes and Noble. We walk in the door, say "see ya later," and pass each other from time to time, often with a pile of literary works in our arms. I've been collecting books for years. How-to books, works of fiction, childrens books, among others. Evidently, so has my husband; westerns, science fiction, mysteries.

So, if you are a reader yourself, you can imagine the joy our latest home improvement project brought us. We finished built-in bookshelves, transforming our office into a library!!! We could hardly contain our excitement, and proceeded to put many of our books in place.

The history you must know is that the shelves are modeled after the desk my dad built us as a wedding gift. He gave us what was left of the stain, and that is what was used on the shelves. John created the design for the shelves, we cut them, I sanded and stained them, and we assembled them together. So, without further ado:

And now, we need more books! Mind you, not all of our books are on these shelves, but most are. Barnes and Noble, here we come!

Shoveling, continued...

So, a few minutes ago, my loving husband appeared from downstairs, dressed in his winter clothing. "What are you doing?" I asked innocently. "This was your plan all along, wasn't it? he replied. I truly didn't expect him to go out and shovel, but I must admit, it worked out quite nicely. And, evidently, he believed me when I said I couldn't figure the best way to shovel that much snow. Or, he felt the need to put a dent in the drift before it got any bigger. Or, he wanted to get out of the house? Whatever the reason, I'll be thankful, for now.

-30F

What does 30 degrees below Fahrenheit, windchill, feel like you wonder? I'm guessing if you've felt it, it's not something you wish to dwell on, or repeat, if you can help it. If you haven't felt it, let me be the first to tell you, it's cold. After too long, I am certain, it hurts. Why, why, why, you ask yourselves? Well, there is a drift in our driveway, and it is my "turn" to shovel it. My loving husband told me it needed to be done in order for my car to leave the drive. Logic, albeit misplaced, told me the sooner I got the problem under control, the easier it would be to keep it under control. Also, the forecast told me it will be colder tomorrow than today. So, I dressed up in SEVERAL layers, shovel in hand, and attempted to shovel the driveway. I say attempted because, as my friend Celestia says, "it was like nailing jell-o to a tree." It's still snowing. It's still blowing. And, it is cold. Cold, I tell you. Needless to say, I wasn't out there even five minutes. There is a silly looking strip of shoveled snow down the driveway. Actually, there WAS a silly looking strip of shoveled snow down the driveway. I am quite certain it has blown in by now. I'm kind of wishing I had backed my vehicle into the garage last night (smart plan Eric and Anne). Please don't be frightened, and please remember I had several layers on (and the camera adds ten pounds). Here's a pic of me attempting to nail jell-o, I mean shovel the driveway.

Let me tell you, the house feels a lot warmer, now!

"I feel like a blueberry." said by a 5 year old. What does a blueberry feel like I wonder? Juicy? plump? blue? sugar covered? When asked, he says it feels like he's going to eat himself. I'm concerned. Not so much that he'll try to eat himself, but what our school day has in store...
If you have a minute, you might pray for my patience today. This week has been a test so far, and things can only get more exciting as we get closer and closer to our Christmas program. December 22nd, if you're wondering. 6pm potluck.