The gift of a snow dusting

Our porch at 6:30 this morning.

Chris captured this "kodak moment". Now you know what I look like when I'm outside every morning for my prayer time (minus my glasses, I took them off). I put my prayer blanket in the dryer to heat it up, light a candle (so my prayers go all the way to heaven) and inside my blanket is a warm cup of tea that rests on my chest/tummy, my journal and my Bible..and usually a flashlight b/c it's still dark out. My soul just rejoices when I'm outside to give God my first morning time. I love to be outside to start my day with Him.

This morning I went to the kitchen door to feel it and see if it was too cold to do my prayer time with the Lord outside. As I struggled to focus I saw white. Everywhere. In my excitement I went outside with my tea and started praising the Lord for such beauty. Yes it was cold, but the crisp white all on our porch, grill, roof tops and such was so white that it made me feel excited inside.

I grew so thankful and started telling the Lord about all that I was thankful for about the snow. It made me feel like the white and newness of a new season, how fitting for the day after Thanksgiving.

I decided to throw my "prayer blanket" in the dryer and sit outside anyways. Talk about distracting!!! I was telling God, how can I possibly pray or read my Bible with such beautiful snowflakes that were falling. Some landed on my prayer blanket, and some on my Bible pages or journal pages - which ever I had opened - and I was in awe at their beauty.

Each flake is so individual...like us. Some fell in two's, some single, some were so tiny that I could barely make out the middle of them. It was so exciting to see God's majesty working right in front of me. As I looked on the patio table I could see how they were piling up to make the snow. How awesome our Lord is!

And I'm thankful for a warm home to come inside to.

God's peace~

Being Thankful

I hope you all found something to be thankful for yesterday. The Lord is good and even in the rough spots, I have many things to be thankful for.

Yesterday we had a FEAST!! And the best part was I decided to make it more about family and friends, rather than the "fancy" stuff I've grown up with. Every year my mom would set out her best china and linens, for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I had started that because that is all I have known. The Lord is teaching me other things are more important. The love shared between family and friends, or just some hungry college students looking for a warm meal LOL!

I started to just do plastic & paper thanksgiving stuff, and decided at the last minute, not acceptable to me. I don't do the whole china thing, we used our everyday dishes. But I did bring out the good silver (I don't have service for that many in my everyday one's) and combined it with some Thanksgiving paper cups. It was an ecletic grouping, but it was me. We had food EVERYWHERE! I had to clear off the top to my desk in the corner of the dinning room to fit everything. It worked well. The big hit seemed to be the spiced apple cider in the crock.

Our menu:
Organic Turkey (yep, I pd the bucks for it but for our health it's worth it.)
Mashed potatoes
Sweet potato cassarole with peaches and a brown sugar/pecan mixture
Dee's sweet potato cassarole (no sugar no peaches)
Cranberry sauce (brought by two of the young men that came)
Dee's cranberry sauce (sweetened with -not enough- honey LOL)
Green been cassarole
Green beans
Corn w/ butter
Rolls
Stuffing

and when it was all said and done:
Pecan pie
Pumpkin pie
Apple pie
and ice cream

I had some tea and a pumpkin pie version I tried. After 2 bites it was a goner, yuck. So out came my trusty and tastey Baked Spiced Walnut cookies.

All 5 left with a plate of leftovers and a pie. Except the turkey. I can use that for soups and stews.

I wish you all God's peace during this season.

It's snowing..it's snowing!!!

I just took this picture, it is facing our neighbors property, but you can see the snowflakes against the wood better. (click on the pic to see them).

It's neat because this is my first time living in a place that it snows. I've been skiing before, for the day, but never lived in it. How exciting...it's snowing. It's 34 ish outside and the fall leaves are still on the ground...with snow.

Yesterday a student on the campus said it usually snows by the end of October so this is really late for cold weather, wait until January..

How is it where you are? Are you finally getting cold weather?


God's peace to you today...

Sunday Supper

Last Sunday Danielle brought a few friends for supper. I enjoyed everyone's company and most of all, providing a homecooked meal for college students. No one is dating anyone here, they are all friends. How cool is that! A "bene" I get is the hugs when they leave.

For supper we had Rotisserie chicken (organic) with Lemon Pepper seasoning, oven roasted, chopped red potatoes and organic sweet potatoes seasoned with Butt Rub, steamed broccoli with bacon, rolls and to top it off they got to have Dutch apple pie a'la mode. I had my tastey walnut cookies and tea.

It was good to hear "oh my stomach is so full." Thanksgiving is next. I'm excited.

My morning view

Each morning after we get up, the bed is made and blinds opened. Yesterday we awoke to this beautiful site. We have been watching our Maple tree slowly turning colors, then it seems overnight this magnificant color display was what we saw when we opened the blinds. God is amazing. How does He do that?! I just stood there in awe again this morning. How can it be so bright? How amazing. Gee, my first fall and I'm already gazing out the window at this lovely tree wondering what it will be like to see the first buds of green in the Spring.

Snow flurries already?

I don't have a picture for you because it woudn't have turned out, but we had snow flurries yesterday! Right here where I live! I am excited yet already counting the months. The wind was VERY cold and I couldn't wait to get back home to some heat. We are looking into a wood burning insert since all we have is gas right now.

This is my first "winter" and I'm excited (nervous too). I don't know a lick about winters up here, just in the desert and in the south. The humidity in GA always made winter miserable, but winter lasts about 2-3 months down there. I spoke to a student on the campus this morning (went for my morning gym workout) and he said last year they had 19 days straight of snow, and 4 mths of weather below 50 degrees. FOUR MONTHS. Ok Ang, now would be a good time for "how to keep warm while running errands" tips.