Walking in the Snow, Part 2

On my Facebook status earlier, I put that I thought about going for a walk and then decided not to. Then, I changed my mind and went anyway. I put on some layers, took the camera, and called home and chatted with my brother while I walked. And just to show you how brave I am, this is what weather.com has to say about the weather.

Please be proud that I went outside in this. I am. Proud, that is. Of myself. Now I can't type well because I broke my arm patting myself on the back. Ok, not really. It sounded good though, didn't it? Huh? Huh?

Here are some pictures I snapped randomly while I walked. Isn't the snow pretty? They keep the roads fairly well plowed. I only fell once, and didn't even get hit by a car!

I thought all the little trees covered in snow were pretty.

I LOVE the way the snow forms to the top of stumps. It makes such cool shapes.

I walked down to the lake. See that huge condo building? Those people are rich. Just sayin'. And do you see our white sand on our beaches? People are flocking for all over to sun bathe there. Not. It's cold.

The entrance to someone's private beach. I like.

The Coeur d'Alene Senior Center. I like it too.

Migrating Vegetables

There are some vegetables that I prefer to buy frozen. Among these are peas and broccoli. Since I buy the cheapest brand, the bags aren't reclosable. I usually put both bags inside one gallon size freezer bag to keep them fresh. For some reason, that freezer bag is really hard to keep inside the freezer. I want you to see the migration.

This is the happy (cold) home of the veggie bag.

This is where I discovered the veggie bag a couple of days after I had last used it. I am used to placing stuff up there (notice the abundance of stuff that lives on top of the fridge) so instead of putting the veggies IN the freezer, I put them ON it. Oops. They were quite spoiled by the time I discovered them.

This is where the veggies went next. The trash can was full, and I didn't want to overflow it. They only lived here for a few minutes.

The veggies final home. RIP veggies! I will miss you!

Directions

While studying the scientific method in my 8th grade science class, we did an exercise that involved making a peanut butter sandwich. My teacher had us split into groups and write instructions for making the sandwich. Then he took one set of the instructions and began to make the sandwich. "1. Spread peanut butter on the bread." He tried jamming his knife through the lid of the jar, so he could spread peanut butter on the bread that was still in the bag. We all swiftly revised our instructions to be as meticulous as he wanted them to be.

While I was showering the other day, I happened to read the directions on the back of my body wash. "Directions for use in the shower or bath: Squeeze a small amount of product onto wet puff. Lather and rinse." It made me think of that lesson in science. While the average person would not even read the directions in order to know how to use it, there might be someone out there who needs them. That's why they put them on the bottle, right? Think of poor Amelia Bedelia. She would be so befuddled by them. I think the directions are useless. How is putting body wash on a puff, lathering and rinsing it going to EVER get anyone clean? They should at least add a 'yourself' after the lather. Just sayin'.

Walking in the Snow

On Christmas Eve, Cameron and I bundled up and went for a walk on Tubb's Hill. It was beautiful. There was crusty snow covering the path and we were the only human life forms we saw on our walk. I wanted to share some pictures with you all.

I don't know if you can see it, but someone had drawn a star in the snow on that stump. Pretty!

So I'm a city girl. But I try to pretend I'm an Idaho girl sometimes. "Whoa, that's a really big cat track!" Cameron - "Actually, that is a dog."

My handsome husband.

I had to share my practical, warm, waterproof boots with you all. I love to be cute, but sometimes even I cave to being warm.

Bundled up for our walk!

On the way home, I discovered some profound truths. There were scenes that were only seen when walking back the way we came, much the same as life. There are times in life when we can only realize how beautiful/good/beneficial something is by looking back.

It was starting to get dark so I started walking pretty briskly. I was concentrating on where I would place my feet (didn't want to fall!) and looked up and saw this pretty scene. Truth: Sometimes we need to look up from taking that one step at a time and realize how good life is. It's easy to get wrapped up in day to day living but take a moment today to see the wonder of life.

There are times in life when it is obvious that we are not alone. There are signs all around us of the people taking the same path we are.

Sometimes, though, it's not so obvious. It's starting to get dark and the pathway is obliterated. The footprints are still there, though. You aren't alone in life, no matter what you are facing. There are always people there, willing to take your hand and help you over the slippery places.

About this time, two deer came tearing past us, startling me greatly. It was getting too dark to take any more pictures anyway, so we just concentrated on getting back to the car. I hope you enjoy our walk on Tubb's Hill almost as much as I did!

It's almost Christmas!

I meant to get this post written last night, but didn't get it done. I wanted to share with you all some of the sights of Christmas around here. I know that I have already put up a picture of my tree, but I'm putting another one since it actually has presents under it now! These things have helped me to get back into the Christmas spirit, and I hope they help you!

I had to use the flash, so you can't really see the pretty lights but that is ok. Please ignore the cardboard under my fancy metal buckle tree stand. And the fact that the pile of gifts is rather lopsided. I wasn't trying to arrange them in an aesthetically pleasing way. Thanks.

I made a bunch of Christmas trees out of felt and for a while there was a Christmas tree forest on my window seat. Now, there is a card and Christmas tree forest. I love getting Christmas cards!!!

The other night, we kept hearing a partial siren in our neighborhood. Finally this fire truck came down our street and we figured out why we heard the siren. We followed it and asked for a picture and the nice firefighters were kind enough to take one for us. They were playing Christmas carols over speakers attached to the front. I was quite enchanted. It helped me get back into the Christmas spirit.

Santa was sitting on top and waving to everyone. I really hope that his outfit was warm because it was a VERY chilly night.

The Third Day

I wrote this quite some time ago and posted it online, but I thought I would post it again. At Christmastime, I can only praise my Jesus for life.

At the end of the third day, Father God looked out over the newly created Earth and smiled. He saw the lush green of the plants, the deep blue of the still seas, and reveled in the pristine purity of it all. As his gaze skimmed the land, He saw only one place that was not covered in life. On a hill in the northern country, there was a spot that was remarkable in its barrenness. The crags of the rocks were in stark contrast to the blossoming plants all around the hill. As He looked ahead in time, He knew what He would see on this stony pinnacle.

A small seed, dropped on the rocks by a bird passing overhead, struggled to take root in the few grains of sand that had been blown into a crevice. It reached tentacles further and further, hungry for nutrients found only in soil of deeper depth. As it finally reached the end of its ability to survive, it slowly withered. The few shoots it had put out curled in on themselves, and it shriveled into nothingness.

The Father saw this cycle occur again and again. Life did its best to spring forth in an environment that was only suited to death. The spot continued its legacy of desolation, even while the world around it sang praises to the Creator.

Then the Father looked further to the darkest day on Earth, the day when even the sun covered its face in sorrow. God the Son, the Creator, had left Heaven to dwell among the created. They shunned the life He offered, preferring to continue to try to pull meager spiritual sustenance from the insufficient depth of the Law. Men caused Christ to be nailed to a cross on the hill of death. On that day, it was so clear why the Creator had left that spot bare. No life could spring from the place where God would offer Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. And yet, as Christ cried, “It is finished,” the earth trembled and the rocks began to break apart. Each place where His precious blood hit the ground, life sprang forth. The last stronghold of death was defeated, covered with new life.

And because God the Father knew that one day death would be given over to life, and because He knew that one day all Creation could bow and worship Him in purity, at the end of the third day, God said, “it is good.”

Teenagers

I get emails from Groupon with new deals for our area. They always have some witty thing at the bottom. I wanted to share today's Groupon saying with you. It made me laugh.

The Groupon Guide to: Raising a Teenager

Everyone in the world knows a teenager, is a teenager, or has seen a teenager in a movie about teenagers. Here are a few tips for those tasked with raising those of teen-agery:

• Teenagers will always want to do the opposite of what you say, so use reverse psychology on them by reciting Freud’s theories backwards.
• Teens are notoriously reckless behind the wheel, so ensure that your teen is a safe driver by forcing them to drive you to work at the age of 5.
• Relate to your teen by dressing exactly like them and writing in their diary when they’re not home.
• Teens like to rebel, so teach them a lesson about the perils of rebellion by showing them Ken Burns’ Civil War documentary.
• Teach your teen a little something about respect by singing Aretha Franklin’s “Respect” at them all the time.
• Homeschool your teen to make sure they get the best education possible, then when they graduate, give them a homejob to ensure they have the best career.