New week, new month, new snow

It looks like we're working on a white Christmas in our neck of the woods—we've had three snows in the last week and it's been too cold to do much melt-off. It's beautiful! I think our clan is secretly hoping that it'll continue for a few weeks, at least in a reasonable manner, to set the stage for the holidays. I always forget all the fol-de-rol that comes with winter, the cumulative hours of time to dress in layers, don boots, hat, gloves, scarves, then repeat the process in reverse; shoveling, shoveling, and more shoveling. But there's little that can compare to a cozy home, crackling fireplace, hot tea, cuddly afghans, hot soup and muffins, and the gallery-hung-pictures out every window. Might as well as enjoy it!

We had the perfect Christmas-tree-getting this last week. In the interest of simplicity, we have for years opted for an artificial tree since SweetPea was little. But this year we were invited to the mountain home of some homeschooling friends, who had a crowd of us in for the day to cut trees on their property, sing carols, enjoy hot soup and fellowship together. What a perfectly lovely day. My favorite moment was sitting by the bay window during the carol-sing, looking out over the pine-rimmed valley before me in dusk-light, watching curtains of snow hanging in the nearby mountain skies swirling toward us. A herd of horses nearby set off running across the valley to their supper in a barn on the other side. Wow. One of those snapshot moments for sure. (Oh, and to top it off, I took home a load of fresh farm eggs.  Happy sigh.)

I'm thrilled to report that my honey's back has improved hugely in the past three or so weeks. Very little pain and getting stronger by the day. Yay! Hooray! We give thanks and praise to the Lord, our Healer, for His mercy and grace. And thanks to those of you who prayed—we really appreciate it.

Today is a tremendously satisfying day...you might remember that I was helping get my mom's book ready to send to the publisher, a few months of editing, planning, organizing, copy editing, working remotely with various family members who all have had a part in the process. Well...(drum roll), I clicked “send” on Saturday! Yay! It's now in the hands of the publisher and staff, and we're within just a few short months of holding the book in our hands. All my mom's hard work and patience will be beautifully rewarded. What a neat learning experience for us all. Now begins our part in the marketing efforts, another “adventure in publishing”! Stay tuned...