The Short Days of Winter

I wonder if it would be accurate to say that winter is always on our minds?  In the winter, we are thinking about how to get through the winter.  In the spring, we're so thankful that winter is over.  Summer brings projects that must be completed before the cold weather hits, and fall consists of finishing all those said summer projects, and the mad dash to finish everything up before....you name it....winter comes again!  So yes, I suppose I can say that winter is all consuming.  Especially when you live in Alberta!

There is, however, much to love about winter.  And that's how I try and get through the (never ending) season in good spirits, being thankful. 

First of all, since the sun rises so late, and sets so early, you don't have to be up at the butt crack of dawn to see the beauty that happens twice a day.  When I really think about it, it's quite amazing.... that we would be privileged to witness such an event.  Twice!  Every.  Single.  Day.   

Since the days are so short, and the nights are so long, it's a really great time to work on inside projects.  Our girls have learned to enjoy doing a bit of embroidery.

Weather it be tea towel or pillow cases, it's always fun to bring out a new project.

I also really enjoy quilting.  This is my winter project, to finish up this vintage quilt I bought.  I'm hoping it'll be finished in time for spring - I think it'll look awfully sweet on my bed!

And sledding.  Because really, who doesn't love some sledding??  Either by hill.....

....or by horse.  And you're never too old to sled!

Fires.  Again, who doesn't love a great fire?!  If it's outside.... 

....or inside.  There's something just so comforting and relaxing to me, to sit by a fire.  I love it!

And naturally, another winter sport we enjoy is skating.  Since moving out to our ranch, every year, Art has made a big skating rink for the girls, their friends, and our neighbors to enjoy.  This year, we moved it to a more protected spot, closer to the house, and we hung these sweet lights around the rink so they could easily skate in the door (due to the aforementioned long nights!), and the light makes it look almost magical!

I suppose the last thing on the mind is caring for livestock throughout the winter.  Due to the ridiculous amount of time, energy and planning that is done throughout the year, I feel very fortunate that our feeding routine is very, very easy.  Of course, we check on our animals every day, usually a couple of times a day - especially when the temperature really drops.  However, since we bale graze our cattle, we are moving electric fence every 4 days to allow them to access new bales.  It's an inexpensive, easy way to manage livestock through the winter.

The chickens are especially happy this year with a new chicken house.  We built this house in the spring, and have increased our flock to about 60 hens, and next year I think we'll bump it up to 80 layers.  With their new, roomy digs, the chickens are happy, happy, happy!

So many, many things to be thankful for during the long season of winter!

The Freezing-Ness of Fall

This time of year, I'm always freezing.  Free. zing!!  It's funny, because come spring, when the weather is like this, and we've survived another Alberta winter, we are outside in shorts and t-shirts.  But not in the fall.  No ma'am.  Right now, I wear 3 layers of clothes (in the house, let alone outside!), am cuddled up under a blanket, and still, my fingers are like ice cubes.  In this season, I have a couple of tricks to help combat the freezing-ness of fall. 

 

1.  Magic Bag.  The first, and most gratifying thing to keep the cold at bay, is, of course, my magic bag.  My hubs calls it my "woobie", because I'm like a baby with a special blanket.  I can be found curled up on the couch with it.  Once it cools down, I bribe one of my girls to warm it up for me again.  I'm not gonna lie, even the smell of my magic bag I love (except if it gets nuked for too long and the flax starts to burn....) 

 

2.  Slippers.  Always and forever.  My sister-in-law often crochets me slippers and gives them to me for Christmas, but by this time of year, those have long since worn out.  This year, I decided to treat myself to a new pair of moccasins.  I've always wanted some, and I decided that now was the time.  So I searched high and low until I found the perfect pair...

 

Truth be told, leaving the house is harder because it means that I have to take these bad boys off.  I do love them!

 

3.  Quilts.  Already mentioned above.... but they are worth the re-mention.  I have quilts scattered around the whole house, and I especially love my flannel quilts.  The other day, I found a hand made quilt and Goodwill for $20!  You better believe I snatched it up right quick.  You can never have too many...

 

4.  Heated blankets.  I have a heated blanket on our bed, and I am convinced that whoever invented such a thing was a woman who has survived a long winter on the prairies.  There's nothing like climbing into a nice, warm bed!

 

5.  Long underwear.  There's no reason to be ashamed....I've worn my long underwear many a times already this year.  My motto: Better safe than sorry!  I tell my Girls to put theirs on too, if we'll be outside for a long time.  It's better to be overdressed rather than underdressed!

 

5.  Mittens.  Forget the nice, "sophisticated" leather gloves.  Give me mitts any day of the week.  I  may or may not have 3 (or more!) pairs.... Lined, unlined... you name it.  I've got them.

 

6.  Girls.  Lots and lots of girls to cuddle with.  I've found 4 to be the best number for me, personally...  And I especially love these ones!

 

 

 

 

What's In a Name?

Meet George.  George the Giant. 

 

 

 

Think he'll grow into his name?  (Or his paws?)

Emmanuel. God With Us

I have been loving this song these days.  I've put it on repeat around these parts, and it makes me weep.  Not necessarily a traditional "Christmas song", but I do love the words....

Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee,

God of Glory, Lord of love.

Hearts unfold like flowers before thee,

Opening to the sun above.

Melt the clouds of sin and sadness,

Drive the dark of doubt away.

Giver of immortal gladness,

Fill us with the light of day

 

Rejoice, rejoice, our GOD is here with us

Emmanuel. Our GOD is still with us

 

Such a good reminder, in this season.  Let's rejoice.... Emmanuel!  Our God is here with us!



WestJet Makes Me Cry

I don't normally share videos on here, but I recently watched this video, and I'm not gonna lie...it made me cry! 

 

WestJet is a Canadian company, and whenever we fly (which is hardly ever!), we try and use them.  And here's just another reason why I love them....

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

This week has been cold.  Really, really cold.  And we've had snow.  Lots and lots of snow.  But, truth be told, it really is beautiful.  Even if it means that my husband spends 3 hours plowing our driveway, plus a few of our neighbors.  We get treated to beautiful sunsets.  And it looks clean.  And fresh.  And cold!

 

 

The snow has definitely put me in the mood for Christmas, and my house is now put back together, after being pulled apart.  My Christmas trees are up.  My nativity scene displayed.  And tomorrow?  Christmas shopping.  With no children.  Just my man and me.  And maybe Sunday too...(thanks, Auntie Frieda!)

 

It's supposed to get above zero tomorrow, so hopefully, some of the 40 cms. of snow that we got over the last week will start to melt.  And make a slushy, dirty mess.  But I won't complain...because it'll feel like Spring after the -25C that we had earlier this week!

 

Randomness

Here's a whole boatload of randomness for you today.  There is absolutely no rhyme or reason...just random:

1.  I'm making granola right now.  I'm telling you, if I could make this scent and put it into a candle, I'd be a millionaire!  Art and I have granola. every. single. morning.  For real.  Add it to some yogurt, and you've got yourself a healthy, yummy breakfast.  And it smells good too! 

2.  I was at the bottle depot today.  Twice ('cuz I'm a sucker for punishment!).  And is it just me, or do they ask everyone, "Have you counted your cans and bottles?"  Ummm, NOPE!  Isn't that what your job is?  I mean, I know I brought in 10 garbage bags of bottles... but really?  Am I supposed to keep a running tally every time I send one of the girls out to the garage to put a can in?  Or am I just being ignorant to the ways of bottle depot-ing?  Help me out here, friends! 

3.  We cleaned out the chicken mansion on the weekend.  I was kinda dreading it, but I am telling ya, once we all donned our carhartt's, we were a well-oiled-chicken-poo-cleaning-machine! (I'm not sure if that's something to be saying out loud, but whatevs.)

 

4.  Molly is becoming a chicken whisperer.  Most days, she'll go out and hang with the hens, putting some scratch on her pants and sitting very, very still.  After a few minutes of this, she has them eating out of her hand.





 

 

5.  Moses is kinda crippled these days, and he's decided on a new mode of transportation which he LOVES.  The only problem is when I'm driving, sometimes his foot hits the gas.  Then it makes things a bit sketchy.  Oh well, he's a senior citizen, and he's gotta have a bit of crazy every once in a while!

 

 

 

5.  These little girls, they like to giggle.  A lot.  I hear them whispering and giggling in the morning, during school, while doing chores, when we're out doing errands, and when I tuck them into bed.  They giggle and giggle and giggle.  I like it.  A lot.  I hope they'll always enjoy each other this much!

 

 

 

6.  Our turkeys are getting butchered next week.  I can hardly wait to see how much those bad boys weigh.  We raised 9 of them this year, and the plan is to keep 2 and sell 7.  They are all pre-sold, so that's good.  The Girls will be paying for the processing, and keeping the profit.  They are pretty excited about that!

 

7.  Guess who's the new 4-H Sheep leader?  Oy!  Heaven help us all....

 

8.  The other night, I saw the reflection on the house from this:  Need I say more?

 



 

 



Happy Friday

Those who know me well know that I love Fridays.  Fridays mean that the weekend is (almost) here.  And when the weekend is here, that means that my little family gets to spend time all together.  Sure, we usually end up working together, either on a project around the house or yard, but it's ok.  Because we're together. 

 

It seems like the weekend means less work for me, when in reality, that's probably not true, but my workload seems a little lighter, 'cuz my Hunka Hunka Burnin' Love hubs is around (incidentally, I changed his contact info on my phone to say Hunka Hunka Burnin' Love, so every time Art calls or texts me, that's what comes up.  These are the things I do to amuse myself....)

 

Anyhow, I regress....the weekend is what I'm talking about here.  But not really, 'cuz all I really wanted to post was a few pictures from my walks this week.  My walks remind me that God is in the details much more than I imagined.  Because really, who could dream up this beauty but Him?! 

 

 

 

So, my friends, Happy Friday to you.  And to me.  May you enjoy your family and your time on the couch this weekend.  (I'm kinda hoping for rain, because then I can have more time on the couch...).

 

In The Dark of the Night

I don't normally post articles on here, but I sure did love this one that came across my computer...Please, take a moment and read it.  It's worth it, I promise!

 

I love this story for many reasons.  One, it started as a secret thing - no one wanted credit, this group of ladies just wanted to help people.  No accolades, no pats on the back from others....just personal satisfaction.  LOVE that!  I also love that it was a group of mama's.  Mama's, living their lives, wanting to help other people while still taking care of their own families.  Mama's, who saw people's need, and wanted to, in some way, ease the suffering of those they saw around them.

 

I love, love, love it!

 

 

It's Coming....

Well, I felt it this morning.... The "F" word.... it's coming....."Fall" is quickly approaching.

 

I went out for a walk this morning, and it felt chilly, and was soupy outside.  I wasn't sure if I should even go, I was unsure if drivers would be able to see me.  However,  I donned my bright blue jacket, and hoped for the best.  It was eerily quiet, all the noises subdued by the fog.  I couldn't see the surrounding fields, houses, or barely even the trees as I walked on the side of the road.  I was surprised, as I walked, to find droplets of water running down my face, not from rain, but rather, the moisture of the air.  And it was beautiful.  And quiet.  And I felt alone.  And isolated. 

 

 

And I wondered to myself, "How many times, over the years, have I done that to myself?  How many times do I miss seeing the things around me, because I have chosen to isolate myself.  To bury myself in a fog of 'life', and family, and just the fullness of running a household...."

 

However, there is also such beauty in that place, but it's also quiet.  And can be lonely.  On the flip side, if I really stop to smell the flowers, I see the beauty of little things that I would normally miss.  Things that aren't there if the fog has been lifted.  Gifts from God, really. 

 

Tiny details, highlighted by the fog.  Drops of water on spider webs....who'da thought?  Yet it's beautiful.  Stunning, really.

 

Funny how in the isolation, we see the small details, yet when all is clear and sunny and bright, we get to see a bigger picture.  I suppose it's all good, a season for everything. 

 

And I know, the "F" word is coming....

 

To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven

Ecc. 3:1

 

 

Meet Frank.

Meet Frank.

Frank is the newest member of our family.  We planned a little Goerzen Family Adventure on Saturday to pick him up.  Frank's from BC, but we met the breeder in Cochrane to get him.  Frank is an Anatolian Shepherd, who's job will be to guard the Girls and the chickens.  Here's hoping we'll stop losing chickens to the crazy fox(es) who roam our place!

Frank is 11 weeks old, and oh, so cute!  He's was a bit shy when we first met, but has quickly warmed up to our family.  We got lots of love from the Girls on the drive home, and him and Moses are making friends.  Truthfully, I think Moses feels a bit jilted, but he'll be fine. 

They say, with puppies, you're supposed to introduce them to 100 new things in 100 days.  Well, the last 2 days have been chalked full of new things.  Yesterday, we took him into one of our favorite stores, Irvine's, to find him a dish.  Today, we took him for a ride in the ranger.  I think he liked it!

They also say that puppies are like babies.  Hopefully it doesn't take 6 weeks for him to be sleeping through the night, but I'm not gonna lie....last night was a bit rough!  We put him out in the dog run for night, and he howled and howled.  Poor little guy, I think he missed his 9 brothers and sisters!  Art brought him in at about 4 am to sleep inside for a bit, so hopefully our neighbors won't hate us...  He definitely likes it inside better than outside!

 

 

So far, Frank has shown himself to be fairly intelligent.  He knows not to come off the front carpet in the house, and he's learning to walk on a lease, and recognize his name.  The Girls have spent the whole day playing with him, and in true puppy fashion, he's tuckered out. 

 

 

Welcome to the family, Frank.

 

 

 

A Gift

It's been a full couple of weeks in our household, let me tell ya!  It felt like we just got settled back into a bit of a routine, and then it was Easter, so our schedule went right out the window.  The weather has also been getting nice (and snow has actually been melting...I was beginning to think Spring would never come!), so we've been spending every spare minute outside.  The Girls are scurrying, trying to get school finished up in the next few weeks before our "Yippee!!  School is Done (hopefully!) Getaway!"

In the midst of this all, I received a gift.  Not unusual, you may say.  But let me tell you, this gift has stirred quite a mound of emotions within my heart.

My first feeling concerning this gift is guilt.  I've struggled with feeling "worthy" of receiving this gift.  I've felt very undeserving, and extremely insecure about the whole issue.  I know, crazy right?  A gift is a gift.  I should just be enjoying this gift.... However, with this particular gift, I've also felt very conflicted.  I've been enjoying this gift immensely, but there is a part of me which thinks that this gift, although extremely practical, could also be viewed as frivolous.  I've felt the need to explain to others how this gift came to be in my possession, and for the most part, I haven't....but I still feel the urge.  Because what will people think? 

Normally, I couldn't give a rat's behind what others think, but for some reason....this gift has messed with my mind.  Seriously.

I've been given the same advice by a dear friend...."Don't feel guilty.  Just don't.  Enjoy it!", and I  know that in many cases, it is mind over matter.  So I've been trying.  And slowly, it's-a comin'.

It's been interesting though, that this gift of mine came around the Easter season.  And it got me thinking, "How do I receive the gift of salvation?" Or even...."Do I willingly receive the gift of salvation?"  And I've realized, that when I really sit down and think about it, I feel fairly guilty about that gift as well.

I was thinking, "What if a friend of mine offered up their son as a sacrifice for my sins?  What would my reaction be?"  Oh my.  I couldn't do it!  I couldn't watch a friend send their dearly loved son...to stand in for me.  And yet, that's what God did for us.  He sent Jesus, perfect in every way, to the cross....to death....just for me.  And my sins.  Wow.  Talk about a sacrifice!  Would I do that for one of my loved ones?  For a perfect stranger?  I don't think so... it's not in our nature.  But it is in God's nature.

So I've been contemplating, and thinking, and examining my heart this Easter season.  I've been trying to freely received the gift.  And "THE gift."  And instead of feeling guilty, I've consciously been trying to take hold of that guilt and change it into thankfulness.  Because I am thankful.  So very, very thankful, of the many gifts I have been given.

Funny, isn't it, how God can take some material thing, in my case, this gift, something I would never imagine that has any "spiritual" benefit, and use that to show us what is in our hearts, if we'll let Him?

Random Pictures

Art's aunt sent me a few pictures from the wedding we just attended in Kelowna.  I chuckled as I looked at them. 

 

Here's Art and I, probably being ridiculously inappropriate and having a good time...

 

 

The picture is of Art and his brother, the father of the bride.  Jeepers, if you'd talk to either of those guys on the phone, you wouldn't know who it was, they sound so much alike!

 

How great to be able to celebrate this special day with them!

 

In other news, we survived the crazy snowstorm yesterday.  Thankfully, every commitment that we had was cancelled due to weather so we didn't miss anything, 'cuz there was no way I was going to leave my house!  I think we got over a foot of snow!  Highways were closed, ridiculous accidents all over the place.... Happy Spring!

Spring Fever

Well, it's March in Alberta, and that means that we are...confused.  We had beautiful weather early this weekend, followed by a blizzard and a 3 hour power outage (right in the middle of having company....nice!).  This morning I woke up, and the window was open, the birds were singing, and the sun was shining in my eyes.  I said to Art, "Oh, it feels like spring!"

Then, I realized that my heated blanket was on, there was a foot of snow on the ground, my toes froze when they touched the floor, and the thermometer said -14C.  oops!  Not quite spring yet!

We are desperately trying to finish up our upstairs renovations so that when spring does really hit, we will be able to be outside, enjoying the sun and mud!  This week, on the agenda, the entire contents of our upper floor need to be taken downstairs, because carpet is coming.  Can I hear a "Hallelujah"?!  Anyone who has stayed in my home has seen the nastiness of the carpet, and I've lived with it for 12 years.  Now, it's (almost) gone!  Yeehaw!

Art painted all the ceilings on the weekend (such a fun job!), and I will paint our room this week in the midst of taking 1000 trips up and down stairs.  It's a good thing I have such great little helpers!  Then, after carpet, the trim work will be done, just like that, the end will be here.  It's only taken 8 years!

I'm most excited about having a whole 'nother room in my home to fill with rusty, chipped junk to make it into an inviting space... Perhaps some more of my bounty will make it out of the storage room and see the light of day?  Now that's a pleasant thought!

I am looking forward to tulips blooming, chicks arriving, and grass showing it's face after a long, northern winter.  Girls coming in covered in mud with smiles on their faces and dirt in the ears, and muddy paw prints from Moses all over my entrance way.  Ahh, spring....

Family Day Weekend

This past weekend was a long weekend for us, which is always so wonderful!  Hannah was off for her birthday date to beloved Auntie Frieda's from Friday until Sunday.  She was so excited about it, and although I love that they get to do these special dates, I do miss each of my little chickens when they are gone. 

We worked on our ongoing renovations on Saturday (complete with a ladder falling out from under Art while he was climbing into the attic, moving electrical outlets, stacking dryers...good times on a Saturday night!)

Sunday, we had a young couple over....they used to be some of our 'youth kids', so that was fun to catch up with them.  They have 2 kids of their own now, which always makes me seem SO old!

Finally, the pièce de résistance was on Monday, when we had some new friends over, whom we have come to adore!  Our kids played with their kids, our husbands played in the shop, and her and I got to have a wonderful visit.  We ate, we laughed.... it was a great day!

Now, another weekend is upon us, and we will do much of the same - that is, work our butts off on our house!  The "reno room" is coming together, finally, and the mudding was completed this week. We started painting tonight, and tomorrow, we'll finish painting and start putting up some of the trims.

We have to move our entire upper floor of our home somewhere.....I'm not sure how that's gonna work yet.... but since we are replacing the carpet, it must be done.  It's gonna be a terrible job, that's for sure, but I keep telling myself that the end product will be worth it.  We'll see about that...

Today this is what I know.  I know that it's Friday.  And I love Fridays, because it means that I get to spend the next two days with my favorite people...my family!

Happy weekend, y'all!

A Full Life

When I think of the phrase, "A Full Life", I think of living life to the fullest.  Seizing every opportunity.  Carpe Diem.  However, it's definitely not felt that my "full life" has been "my cup runneth over" lately.  It's just felt, well, full.

We're doing a(nother) renovation upstairs, so our bedroom has been literally stripped down to studs and is slowly getting put back together.  We've been ripping off cedar siding and tile and plywood and putting back flooring and drywalling and doing electrical and mudding and painting.  We've had school work, babysitting courses, birthdays and celebrations.  That's all in addition to the regular "full-ness" of having 4 kids...4-H and Awana and riding and taking care of critters.  If you would've told me 8 years ago that this is what my life would look like these days, I would've told you that you were crazy!  But alas, it's true.  And although it's a good "full", it can also be exhausting. 

So my focus has been lately on paring down things - not only in our home, as we're going through tons of junk that's collected upstairs, but also on activities and relationships that happen around here.  I've had to be very purposeful in trying to maintain the lifestyle that we desire, and not being too "busy" (oh, how I hate that word!), but also realizing that we have 6 people living in this home, and that requires a bit of juggling.  And driving.  And dying to my desire of wanting to live in my pj's for days on end. 

I know that they day will come, and I will think, "Where has everyone gone?  The house is empty!"...and then I can live in my pajamas for days on end.  But for right now, I'm thankful for one of those days in a week.  And it's good life.  And filled with joy and laughter (and sometimes weeping and gnashing of teeth).  And full.  A full life.  A good life.  A blessed life.

My Score!

This past weekend, Art wanted to go to the gun show and sale in the city on Sunday afternoon.  We, got a sitter (thanks, Auntie Frieda!) and headed in to the 'big event'.  I've never been to a gun show before, and I must admit, I had some preconceived ideas about what it would be like.  And let me tell you friends, every preconceived idea that I had was for a reason, and I was pretty dead on in what I thought it would be like.... I wasn't disappointed!

 

Let's just say that there are different strokes for different folks, and leave it at that.  There were 2 good things about the show, though.  One of them was that we saw an old customers of Art's there.  Art did the cabinetry in their old farm house a number of years ago.  The customer found out that I love old junky stuff, and every time Art trekked out there, he'd come out of their house to find "junk" (otherwise known as treasures, to me!) put in the box of his truck.  And his customer would say, "Take this home to Teresa.  I think she'll really like it!".  And Art would bring it home, and I would love it!  Anyhow, for a number of years now, he's been threatening to clean out his barn, and this time was no different.  He told us that come Spring, he gonna be a cleanin'.  And when he does, he'll give me a call to see if I want anything.  Most likely, I'll have two words.... "Yes, please!"

 

The other good thing about the gun show was that I got a couple of shirts there.  Now I know what you must be thinking...."Really?  Shirts?  At a gun show?  C'mon!"  But it's true!  There was a guy selling Army surplus good, so I picked up not one, not two, but THREE shirts from him.  I got one green shirt, and two white ones.  They're good, old fashioned long underwear shirts, and get this....they're MADE IN CANADA.  You don't find that every day!  The white ones were made in 1988.... but whatever.  They never go outta style, right?  The best part of the shirts?  They were only $5!  Score for me!

 

I think that this shirt is gonna keep me nice and warm, especially when the weather is so frigidly cold, like it has been over the last few day!

 

Wait!  There was one more good thing about the gun show....so I guess that makes 3 great things about it.  The last thing was that I got to hang with my hubby for the afternoon, and chuckle together about how people are different.   Some, so very, very different.  It was a good time had by us!

Joyful In Hope

Well, not too much going on over here other than the regular-ness of life.  The mid-winter blah has kinda set in in our home, and I find myself looking oh, so forward to spring....which is still 3 months away! 

 

I've been thinking on this verse over the past week...

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer.

Rom. 12:12

 

And I've realized that this pretty much covers most life situation.  I have a choice to be impatient and cranky while I'm looking towards circumstances or situations.  I can choose bitterness during times of affliction.  I can think only about myself, and not remember the One who's brought me through so much.  OR, I can choose a higher way, and better path....for myself and my family.  I can choose joy.  And let me tell you, friends, my choice makes all the difference in the world.  My attitude and mindset sets the stage for everyone around me. 

 

Not that I have an awful lot of affliction going on these days, but there will come a day, of this I know for certain, when I face trials.  And so, today, I will choose to try and be faithful, patient and joyful.  Because the choices I make today affect my life tomorrow.  And if I choose these good things today, hopefully, when the really tough stuff comes along, I will be so conditioned to be these things - joyful, patient and faithful, that it'll be a no brainer.  And it'll make my journey a little bit smoother.  At least, that's the plan... 

 

 

Randomness

Here are some random things going on around here....

1. I've been having trouble uploading pictures onto blogger....not sure what the problem is.  Bah, humbug!  I can't stand computer issues.  And I even put my pictures onto my computer from my camera and everything...
2. We had a quiet weekend - Hannah and Abby weren't feeling very well, so we laid low around the house.  It was wonderful!  Now, the week has started, and after looking at our weeks schedule, I want to crawl back into my bed and pull the covers over my head!  We started school yesterday, and 4-H, swimming lessons, birthday parties and Awana are all to come this week.  I suppose it's back to the routine of life, which is good, but always harder after a break....
3. Ellie Mae is very excited, because she FINALLY gets to start swimming lessons, like the other girls.  She comes into my room every morning...."Mommy, do I get to start swimming lessons today?"
4. Art bought me a Bose stereo for in the house for Christmas.  It runs wirelessly, by the bluetooth on my phone.  I really don't know how I lived without it.  It's amazing!
5. My fridge STILL isn't working properly.  I think the repair man's been here 7 times, I think.  He's definitely not made any money off of us, on this job!  I think it's been working on and off for about a month, now.  I have stopped counting the times we've had to empty our fridge and take everything to the fridge downstairs.  Thankfully, we have another fridge!!  He's ordering another part, and hopefully, this'll be the thing that fixes it finally...
6. The Girls take start Moses to 4-H this week, for the canine project.  I'm a bit nervous about it, since he weighed in a 96 lbs., and Hannah's only 64 lbs.  He doesn't get out much (ok, ever), and there will be many dogs there..... it should be interesting!
7. We set up some straw bales to practice shooting with our bows and arrows on the weekend.  It was super fun, but I sucked!  I lost 2 arrows already, in the snow.  I'm looking forward to the snow melting, so that I can find them.  The worst of it?  I only shot 2 arrows....

Phew! It's Over

Well, we survived the Christmas chaos here in the Goerzen home.  It was wonderful and great and exhausting and overwhelming and wonderful.  You know? 

I found my heart being so full, as I prepared for Christmas this year.  I kept meditating on, "God with us....God with me...."  And so He was, and is.

As I prepared dinner for the ones I love, and watched them open presents, I was so incredibly thankful.  Not for the presents under the tree, or the food on the table (although that was fabulous, if I might say), but for the people around the room.  People whom I adore.  People whom I have laid down my life, my selfish desires, my wants, for.  People who bring me such joy and blessings, people who make me want to be a better person.  My people.  My family.

Now, the decorations are down, the house is clean(er), and the quiet(er) is here.  And I am sad.  And happy.  And thankful.  And tired.  And ready for what the New Year will bring.  Are you?

Happy New Year, friends.