Arctic Blast!!!

It is crazy cold out there.  School is even closed in Atlanta where the temperatures are in the 20's!  My school district is on its third snow/cold day in a row.

What's the temperature in your area?

Do you have the day off?  It might be a great day to write a blog post or submit a recipe to the family cookbook!

Stay warm everyone!

Our Snow Angels!

Well, we finally got the girls outside! Pete worked so hard today to get all the snow cleared so we can head to work tomorrow (hooray?)Here are some fun pictures of the snow angels out and about.

Snow Day

  Compared to Chicago we didn't get much but it was enough to have a little whiteout here and there!

 I used my yooper scooper 3 times over the past 12 hours and I see one more time in the future.  I did start to run out of places to put the snow so I shoveled the previously shoveled snow off of the deck and into the backyard.  That was fun.

 Emily sent this picture.  They had real snow!  This is from their front door - I think?  I hope they get a picture of the girls standing next to it for perspective.

Kings & Queen of the Hill

There are so many posts I want to make before the end of the year but there are only a few hours left and I am certain I won't make the deadline. So instead I am posting this picture and a few random thoughts from our adventures in the snow.

1. The boys were talking about being King of the Hill. I love "our" boys because they shared the Kingdom - even with this little queen.
2. I cherish my relationships with my cousins. I am especially grateful for my cousin, Ryan. He is a great man and I would be blessed to find anyone so wonderful in my life (Joy - you are wonderful too!). We have known each other our whole lives and I am so thankful that we still keep in touch despite the miles and the great big lake in between. During our snow adventure Ryan ventured outside without the proper snow gear because he wanted to keep an eye on his boys. He encouraged fun, kept the boys warm, and carefully kept everyone safe without making a big deal of it. He even carved stairs into the snow mountain so that Queen Alaina could reach the top. Seriously, a wonderful person.
3. Not everyone eats snow - but they should. The Queen immediately began filling her belly with fresh crisp cold snow. She just wouldn't stop and when she fell over face forward into the snow she just stuck out her tongue and took advantage of the situation. It's a great life lesson that I am learning.
4. I love the snow - just love it - especially for how it makes everything white. It clears the visual noise - you can even see how it does this in the picture. It reflects light and it is makes me think of the word "clean" (I know not all snow is clean - there even is acid snow!) Most of all I love it because of this verse:

Isaiah 1:18 (AMP) Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord. Though
your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red
like crimson, they shall be like wool.

And this is the thought I leave you with as we head into the new year.

snow days

cold . . . white . . . quiet . . . beauty

snow

(double click to see photos full size)

Lots going on

Hi Everyone,
Thanks for all of the wonderful comments on the pictures.  Aren't the girls beautiful?  I have lots more photos but I am going to only post a few each evening.  I'll be visiting Pete and Emily mid-January so I'll be able to shoot a new batch then!

I hope to write a longer post in the very near future about another something exciting!  My church has moved into its "new to us" permanent location in downtown Royal Oak.  It has been very exciting and I can't wait to fill you in on all the details - they are extraordinary in my opinion.  That will be for another post though.  Also, I will be recording one new song on our church's next cd in just a couple of weeks.  I was hoping to record two songs but I just wasn't able to finish all the details yet on a song from Ezekiel 37.   If you haven't read this passage I would encourage you to do so - it has become one of my favorites.  The song I am recording is titled Cry Out Of Romans.  I think this might be one of the best songs that I have written yet.  My friend Jonathan is playing the guitar and Carol will be adding in piano.  I'll be posting about the process as we move toward January 29th.

On a totally separate note, we had our first decent snow here in Detroit and I was thrilled to use my yooper scooper.  I was able to clear the entire drive without breaking a sweat in about 10 minutes.  I love my scooper.  Even better, a neighbor down the street hooked up a plow to the front of his ATV and plowed the sidewalks up and down our entire block - it was such a gift to come home to after a long day at work!  Oh and my Dad was telling me today that there might be snow in Atlanta tomorrow.  Since there "might" be snow accumulation up to 1 inch they have cancelled school - of course, he said, there are all of about 10 snow plows in the entire state of Georgia.  He he he - Ha ha ha!  My students are dying for a snow day but I have assured them - we will have school tomorrow!

March 1st Snow in Atlanta!

It’s snowing it’s snowing the old man is snoring!!!!!
It is March 1st and it is snowing in Peachtree City. Yesterday was 68* and now it’s 34* and snowing. Paul’s flight has been canceled to Michigan and we are having fun in the snow! It is really wet and heavy. It is not really staying on the roads but it is on the grass and things. Paul decided to make a snow man! The poor daffodils are all sad and snow covered. I hope they make it!