December Happenings

    We have lived in our new home since December 10th and during that time there has been a lot of happiness in my heart. I feel hope in a new way. It is hard to explain but for me the light coming in my window, the space for my children to roam, all the little touches in this house that makes me feel right, I feel like a bit of my guard is down and just maybe a time of healing has come...it is wonderful to feel that hope.
  During this 'Christmas break' my oldest was quite sick. School has really been a strain on her and as soon as she had a break her body fell apart. I am sure the move did not help matters. She was valiant through it all. The other children all took turns getting a mild flue and vomiting...christening the house I guess. I have not gotten much sleep but have taken mornings slow and have rested as much as I could between a LOT of unpacking and Christmas baking and cooking and cleaning and the other things that life entails for me.
  Here are pictures because, I love pictures, and so a big part of my blog is therefore that :)

                  A new discovery was food coloring in snow. They thought it was pretty amazing.

We have a very old dishwasher and it is not my sister!!!! It cant fit our plates and cutlery so we are doing a lot of dishes by hand and really we dont mind all that much.

The first night we were here and two nights afterwards this rat was at my kitchen window eating nuts that the previous owner had left there. It was very tame and calm....not all that reassuring for me as mice and rats are NOT my favorite.

  Each year we ride on a little Christmas Train one of the stores in our town sets up. The older children are maybe getting a bit old for it but the younger ones are still wowed and feel the magic. My parents faithfully accompany us every year as well.

This little guy enjoyed `Kismis` as he called it, so much this year! He keeps us on our toes. He is all or nothing at age two and talks constantly unless he is sleeping.

Grandma and Grandpa took pity on my oldest as she was so sick and brought her a Gingerbread house to decorate. This was so kind and really helped her feel better for a while. She kindly let her siblings help.

The boquet is from new neighbors. This neighborhood is filled with friendly kind people which is so amazing. My oldest came up with this cookie idea.. double chocolate chip cookies with white chocolate drizzled on top and crushed candy cane. They were delicious!

                                    The view from my living room window....Be still my heart!!

Sunshine in my window. I have missed this so much and am so thankful to have this again!!!!!

Mail From Germany

   Back in grade ten I met a girl named Julianne who came to our school for a while. She came from Germany. Through the years we have stayed in touch and then lost touch and then came back in touch. I cherish our friendship for many reasons but one of them is the fact that we send actual letters to each other through the mail. Sometimes, at the best possible time for me, she sends me packages in the mail. They always ALWAYS come when I need to feel cared for and like I am worth time and effort! They bless me so much. This year she took so much time to wrap and label packages for the advent calendar she sent us a couple year ago. The children were so excited. She made sure to send us all things that worked with our healthy diet. This added special excitement to each day for my children and helped us anticipate Christmas Day in a really lovely way.
Thank you my dear friend!!! You are a treasure!

Winter Wonderland

   While I DID want to go into the 'big city' today and enjoy the beautiful shops, my sister's company, and just getting out of my town for a bit...I feel like I enjoyed the snow to its fullest and did not resent that it mussed up my plans all that much. We are getting so much snow this year and it is glorious. I took my camera outside and my sister came and we snapped some quick pictures. It was getting dark but I like what we captured.